The Matchmakers
by Ava Sinclair
Summary: Theresa and Gwen are both married to the men of their dreams and happy at last. But happiness isn't enough for these meddlers, and so the matchmaking is on, and the claws are out, especially when it comes to who should be with Luis.
1. A New Day

The third and last story in my Passions trilogy-The Matchmakers. It is a follow up to my other two, The Ex Factor and Whisper. Please see story description below.Theresa and Gwen are both married to the men of their dreams and happy at last. But happiness isn't enough for these meddlers...both of them are determined that everyone in Harmony should be as happy as they are. With that goal in mind, the matchmaking is on and no one is safe from their machinations. And it's really on when the rival duo find themselves on the opposite side of the 'who should be with Luis' debate. Gwen may be determined to see her best friend Sheridan back with the man of her dreams, but Theresa is just as set on seeing Fancy as the only woman in her older brother's life.Meanwhile, Ivy and Jessica continue to plot against Gwen and Theresa, but it may blow up in their faces, especially Ivy's. Gwen is onto her, and rivalry or not, she's not above joining forces with Theresa to bring both of them down.And in the shadows, real danger lurks, as the past comes back to haunt the two in a big way.

**If you have not read ****The Ex Factor and ****Whisper, I suggest you read those first so you won't be completely lost. And just as a reminder, this Passions trilogy began right after Theresa and Ethan returned from their trip, the trip where she learned that EJ (Little Ethan) was biologically Ethan's son. So, in my world, the past two years on the actual show never happened. No Vincent, no Pretty, no loony, multiple personality Sheridan; Fox and Chad are still alive and kicking - you get the point. **

**The formula for this one is a little different than the other two as well. ****The Ex Factor and ****Whisper centered around Ethan, Theresa, and Gwen. In The Matchmakers, Gwen, Theresa and their loved ones are still at the helm, but the other characters have much larger storylines. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter One:**

**A New Day**

**Winthrop Residence**:

"Alright Gwen...I'll ask him and get back to you. Goodbye." Theresa hung up the phone and turned just as EJ ran into the kitchen.

"What's for breakfast, Mom?" Her son asked her brightly.

"Hmm...what would you like? Waffles? Pancakes? Oatmeal? Or maybe some bacon and eggs?" Theresa smiled at her son as she opened the cupboard door, prepared to get out a frying pan.

EJ made a face. "Pop tarts." He said decisively."Pop tarts?" Theresa's eyebrows shot up.

"Is that what Gwen fed you when you stayed with her and Kieran?"

"Are you kidding?" EJ looked disgusted. "She made me eat grapefruit, and nutritional shakes, and all this nasty healthy stuff. I need sugar, Mom. I'm going through total withdrawal."

Theresa laughed and got the box of Pop tarts down from the cupboard. "Alright, but we're not going to make a habit of this."She put the pastries in the toaster, then a minute later put them on a plate in front of her son, thinking about how glad she was to be home. She and Ethan had had a wonderful time on their honeymoon, traveling to Australia and New Zealand, but she had missed the children terribly.

As EJ ate, Theresa opened the kitchen window, letting the early morning sunshine in, and delighting in the smell of the sea breeze. Sometimes she had to convince herself that this was really her life now, after all the years of dreaming and waiting, and feeling like it was never going to happen, she and Ethan were finally together, and married. She'd moved out of the Crane Mansion, turning the keys over to Fox on her wedding day. He'd been more than surprised, but she and Ethan had decided that he should have the house for now, well, at least as much of it that wasn't already occupied by Julian and Katherine. She had no regrets about leaving it behind. She'd only stayed so long because someday, the house would belong to EJ and she had thought he should be comfortable in it, but in the end, the bad memories the mansion held for her and Ethan were too much.

They instead had bought a lovely midsized home close to the coast. It was perfect for them-even had a small garden that Theresa planned to have blooming before summer's end.Thinking of Ethan reminded her of Gwen's phone call, and she walked down the hall to their bedroom, pushing open the door and smiling at the sight of her husband sprawled across the bed, sleeping soundly.

"Ethan." She murmured, moving closer to him and leaning over.

Ethan sighed in his sleep and then his eyes slowly opened. He smiled as he looked up at his wife, and gently touched her hair."I love this." He said quietly.

"Love what?" Theresa asked, sitting down next to him on the bed.

"Waking up like this everyday, thinking it was all some wonderful dream and then finding out every morning that it's not, that it's my life."

He pulled her close to him and they kissed, Theresa feeling herself weaken and having to force herself to remember that she'd come in the room for a reason."Gwen called. She wants to know if EJ can stay with her overnight again on Friday, and on Saturday, she and Kieran are going to take him and Sarah to that new amusement park that just opened up. Jane will be with us as usual since she's too young to go on most of the rides. I told her I wanted to ask you first, but it's fine with me.""Sure, that sounds like it would be fun for him."

Ethan smiled. He felt a small twinge of jealousy, as he usually did when he thought about how well all three of his children had taken to his ex-wife's new husband, Kieran, but he knew most of that was due to all the time he'd lost with them. Rebuilding those bonds took time, but they grew stronger every day.

Theresa raised an eyebrow as Ethan continued to stare at her expectantly.

"What?" She asked.

"Is that all? Did you have any other phone messages for me, or family matters you wanted to discuss?" He moved closer to her.

Theresa shook her head, and Ethan grinned, pulling her down on the bed with him. "Good."

Theresa laughed as he pulled her into his embrace, forgetting everything else for the moment.

**The Book Cafe**

Sam looked up from his table in surprise as the plate was sat down before him."I didn't order yet." He started to say, turning to the server, and then a smile spread across his face as he saw it was Pilar.

"Really, Sam, you think I don't know what you like by now?" She returned a teasing look.

"Apparently not." Sam's tone turned serious and Pilar's smile faded as she gave his loaded plate a concerned look."Oh no, is it the eggs?"

Sam laughed. "No, it's just that if you really knew what I wanted, you'd join me, because what I'd like most of all is your company."

"Oh." Pilar felt yet another Sam induced blush coming on. _'Stop it._' She scolded herself. _'Sam is just being friendly, after all.' _She turned a bright smile to him. "I'd love to join you, Sam. Just give me a few minutes to check on the to go orders. It's a madhouse in the kitchen during the breakfast rush. I'll be right back."

She hurried towards the kitchen. "Jeffrey!" She called to her head cook. "Are all the orders for The Crane Building ready to go? I have a driver waiting."

"Yes, they're right here." Jeffrey indicated a stack of white Styrofoam boxes on a cart. "We're doing big business with the Crane employees. I filled twenty six orders this morning already."

"Make that twenty seven." Laura, one of the waitresses, hung up the phone and turned towards them. "Fox Crane wants the special, and he asked us to make this a regular delivery every morning from now one."

"I'm on it." Jeffrey turned back towards the grill. "Wonderful." Pilar smiled to herself. Business was booming, and her idea of adding delivery service for bulk meal orders was a tremendous success. The only thing she had to worry about now was that they were rapidly becoming understaffed. She'd have to hire more employees, and soon.

As she walked back out into the dining area, she caught sight of Rina, who was returning a coffeepot to the counter."Rina, do you mind taking all the takeout orders for the Crane building to the driver, please? We're a bit behind.""Of course." Rina smiled and headed back into the kitchen. She found the delivery cart, and began to wheel it out, only to be stopped by a frantic Jeffrey.

"One more, Rina." He handed her another box. Rina started to put it on the cart, and then stopped as she saw the name on the receipt. "Fox Crane." She murmured to herself. She barely knew him, but his recent broken engagement to Kay Bennett had been the talk of the town and especially among the Book Cafe employees. What struck her the most though, was when she'd seen him a few days ago. He'd stopped by for a cup of coffee and he had just looked so...hollow. And hurt. There was such sadness in his eyes that her heart went out to him._I hate to see someone like that, and he seems so kind too. I wish there was something I could do to cheer him up. _She thought to herself.

Then suddenly, an idea struck her. She looked quickly around to make sure no one was watching and then snatched a can of whipped cream off the shelf. It was a silly thing to do, but at least he'd know someone was thinking of him.

**At the Crane Building**

"Breakfast!" Fox's assistant, Sally, came into his office, smiling. "Straight from the Book Cafe. Here you go." She handed him the white box.

"Great...thank you." Fox mumbled, barely paying attention. He set the box on the corner of his desk and went back to the file he was reading. After a moment, he realized that Sally hadn't left yet. Reluctantly, he looked up to see her giving him a half concerned, half-worried look."Is something wrong, Sally?" He asked, trying not to let his impatience show.

"Well...Mr. Crane, forgive me for saying so, but you need to eat. You've been working such long hours and it hasn't escaped me that you haven't been taking care of yourself. I just...well, I'm just trying to help."

"Oh." For a moment Fox nearly told her to mind her own business, but he bit his tongue. Just because his life was a wreck was no reason to take it out on his employees. "You're right, Sally. Thank you. I'll eat right now."

Sally smiled and exited the office, and Fox reluctantly picked up the box. It smelled delicious, but he didn't feel like eating. Hadn't felt like it in days. If he was honest with himself, all he wanted to do was go home and pull the covers over his head, but he was a Crane, and he didn't have that luxury. He had a job to do, and an image to maintain. And he supposed that included eating.

He opened the box, then stopped in surprise. It was the breakfast special that he'd ordered...pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon-nothing unusual about that. It was the whipped cream happy face on the pancake that he hadn't expected. He lifted the lid higher to take a better look and noticed that someone had also taken what looked like strawberry sauce and written on the underside of the lid a single word..._'Smile'. _

"Huh." He just sat there for a moment, wondering who had singled him out for this cheesy little stunt, and then he shook his head and laughed. It was probably Pilar.Ã‚Â It seemed like something she would do. She undoubtedly felt bad about Kay and Miguel hooking up. The thought took the smile off his face as suddenly as it had come, and the bitter taste of his fiancee's betrayal was once again in his mouth. For a second, he contemplated throwing the whole thing in the trash, but then thought better of it, picking up his fork.'Smile', it had said, and he had. For a second maybe, but it was a second more than he'd smiled in weeks. And even that tiny gesture was enough to make his day just the smallest bit brighter.

**The Marionette **(upscale French restaurant -tres romantic)

_Later That Evening_

Fancy smiled nervously at the maitre'd as she smoothed down her silky black dress. "I'm sure my companion will be here momentarily."

"Of course, Ms. Crane. May I seat you at the bar, and bring you something to drink?'

"Yes, thank you. That would be wonderful." Fancy smiled, trying not to let her agitation show. Where was Luis? This was more than embarrassing; showing up at the most elite restaurant in Harmony by herself. She looked at the clock on the wall again, and at her watch. It was a pointless gesture, because she'd already done it thirty times, yet she kept hoping that somehow she was mistaken about the time. That Luis really wasn't late to a date she'd looked forward to for weeks.

Sitting at the bar, Fancy took a small sip of the wine she'd ordered, then set it down. She felt like jumping up and pacing, but she was already attracting curious looks, and she didn't want any more attention. Yet she was unable to stop her perfectly manicured nails from tapping an impatient drum on the smooth wood surface of the counter.

The minutes kept ticking by, and there was still no sign of him. Just as she was about to give up, her cell phone rang. Eagerly Fancy dug it out of her purse, smiling in relief as she recognized Luis's number on the Caller ID. She knew he hadn't forgotten-he probably had a perfectly good reason for being late, like an emergency call to the station or something.

"Hey, Fancy, it's me." Luis's voice was suitably apologetic, and Fancy felt herself relax a bit. That is, until he continued speaking."Look, I'm really sorry but I got hung up. We had a bit of a problem here."

"It's OK, Luis, I know how shorthanded you and Sam have been at the station."

"Uh, yeah." Luis's voice was nervous, and Fancy felt her hackles rise. "It's not police business, Fancy. Well, not exactly, anyway. Chris managed to smuggle out a threatening letter to Sheridan. We don't know how he got it out of the jail-someone must be helping him. Anyway, she's pretty upset and she didn't want to be alone. So I was hoping we could put off our dinner-maybe we can do it tomorrow night, or next week."

"I see." Fancy managed to keep her voice calm, happy he couldn't see the tears in her eyes. "The thing is, Luis, I'm already here."

"Why are you there so early?" Luis sounded surprised.

"It's not early!" Fancy snapped, beginning to lose her cool. "It's almost a half hour past our reservation time, Luis. I'm not surprised you didn't notice. Time flies when you're with Sheridan, doesn't it?"

"Fancy, not this again." Luis sighed, as if he were dealing with a tempermental child. "Sheridan is going through an awful time right now, finding out about Chris's real identity and having to fight to keep custody of James. She needs a friend."

"She has friends, Luis. She has plenty of people she could lean on. It doesn't have to be you, especially not tonight. It's our anniversary dinner, Luis! We are supposed to be celebrating the first year of our relationship. I thought this was as special to you as it is to me. I guess I was wrong." She hated the fact that her voice broke on the last word, but there was no hiding the hurt she was feeling.

"Fancy, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to help her out. Look, if it's that important to you, I'll tell Sheridan I have to go. I'll be there in twenty minutes, alright?" Luis's voice was apologetic, but tinged with a slight bit of condescension, and it was that tone that made Fancy's blood boil.

"Don't do me any favors, Luis. I think it's quite clear where I rank on your list of priorities." Fancy snapped the phone shut, and stood up, suddenly noticing that the bar and the surrounding tables had gone very quiet, the patrons hanging on to her every word. She just wanted to slink away, gathering the remaining shreds of her dignity around her, but the cell phone immediately started ringing again, ruining even that possibility.

"That's great. That's just great." Fancy gritted her teeth. "Fine, you all want a show? I'll give you a show." She took the phone between her forefingers as if it was a foul smelling piece of trash, and then dropped it, still ringing, on the floor. Then she deliberately brought her high heeled foot down on top of it, again and again, until it was nothing but a mangled, cracked mash of plastic and wires. Then she picked up her purse, held her head high, and sailed out the front door. Maybe she couldn't hide from the prying eyes of the world, but she could show them all that Fancy Crane wouldn't cry, or beg for a man's attention, or allow anyone to make her feel as though she were second choice.

Not even Luis.

That was easier said then done once she was outside. Fancy groaned silently when she saw them-the paparazzi had somehow been alerted that she was there, and they were all waiting for her, cameras in hand.

"Fancy, this way!" The voices cried, and she forced a small smile as she concentrated on moving forward to where the valet was bringing her car.

"Hey, Fancy!" A mocking voice called. "Why are you alone? What happened-did you get stood up?" Fancy gritted her teeth as she turned towards the speaker. Gideon Unger-she should have known. The lowlife tabloid photographer had been stalking her since she was a teenager, and they'd had more than a few run ins. He seemed to devote his life to trying to embarrass her in the papers, and tonight seemed to be no exception.

Gideon grinned at the aggravated expression on her face, and before she could turn away, a flashbulb went off in her face. "Thanks, Fancy. That's going to look great on the cover of the Enquirer, accompanied by the story of your pathetic love life and how you can't even get your own boyfriend to show up for dinner."

"You creep." Fancy seethed. "Why are you doing this?"

"Oh, you remember, don't you, Fancy? The glass of champagne you threw in my face at your sweet sixteen birthday party, the time you threw your shoe at me and gave me a black eye, the other time that you tripped me when I was photographing you shopping, and you and all your friends laughed when my camera broke. Consider this a little payback."

It was true, she had to admit...more than once she'd gotten Gideon back for all the times he'd invaded her privacy, but she wasn't about to feel bad about it. More than anything, she wanted to grab the camera from him and hit him with it, but causing even more of a scene would just drag this on even more. She'd just have hope karma had a nasty surprise in store for Gideon someday, but for now, she just wanted to get home and think.

Yes, tonight Fancy Crane had some serious thinking to do indeed.

_Coming Soon_

_Theresa finds out how bad things have gotten between Fancy and Luis. While she's determined to fix things, Gwen is equally as determined to take advantage of the fact to help Sheridan win Luis back.Fox receives another surprise.Kay and Miguel have an argument.Ivy starts to notice the attention Sam is paying to Pilar._

_Author's Note:_

_Thanks for reading the first chapter of The Matchmakers! Unlike The Ex Factor and Whisper, The Matchmakers is not finished, although I've got many chapters done already. If you like the story, please let me know; I'm going to do my best to finish it._


	2. Gone

**Luis and Fancy's Apartment  
10pm  
**  
"Fancy?" Luis walked in the front door of the small apartment he and Fancy had shared for the last six months. There was no response. Silently he cursed himself out. He should have come home right after he'd talked to Fancy and realized how upset she was. Why hadn't he? He had told himself he wanted to give her some time to cool off before they talked, but was that really it? Or had he just wanted another excuse to spend more time with Sheridan?

_'Fancy's right. I've let this situation with Sheridan eat up too much time lately, and I've been neglecting her. I'll make it up to her.' _He thought to himself as he flipped on the living room light.

"Fancy?" He called again. Still no response. She was probably in the bedroom, either already asleep or pretending to be. Undoubtedly, she was still upset. It would take some sweet talking to get him out of this one. Or maybe they could do something else that was even sweeter, and just about always guaranteed to leave Fancy with a smile on her face. Grinning at the thought, he opened the bedroom door and turned on the light.

"Hey, Fancy..." His voice trailed off as he looked around the empty bedroom. Where was she? Had she stayed out late to punish him? He grimaced as he looked around-then he paused as he saw the open closet door. Walking forward, he pushed it open the rest of the way, and then his heart plummented as he saw that it was half empty. Only his clothes remained. As his heart skipped a beat, he hurried to the dresser and opened it, hoping against hope that Fancy's lingerie drawer would still be overflowing with all the frilly things he loved to see her in. It wasn't. He opened another drawer. It was just as empty as the first. He turned and walked into the bathroom. The counter looked almost comical in a way...one half was crowded with his razors, aftershave, deadorant and the other side-it was just bare. None of Fancy's perfume, brushes, curlers, or the myriad of things she used to make herself look beautiful, all the things he never thought she needed anyway, remained. And if the apartment was half empty, it was nothing compared to how his heart suddenly felt.

**The Crane Mansion**

Just as Fox had settled down at the kitchen table, a stack of file folders and a ham and cheese sandwich in front of him, the doorbell rang. For the moment, he ignored it, taking a bite of his sandwich. The maid would let whoever it was in.

The doorbell rang again and Fox remembered what time it was. The maid was gone for the night. Frowning, he stood up. It was past ten o'clock. Who would be stopping by at this time?

"Coming!" He called loudly as he hurried down the hall towards the front door, the doorbell still ringing. Beginning to feel impatient, he yanked it open.

"Alright, already!" He froze as his eyes fell upon the woebegone figure before him. "Fancy?"

Fancy looked at her brother and opened her mouth to say what she'd come to say, but then-she felt them coming, the tears, and she was powerless to stop them. She'd held it together all night, but if you couldn't fall apart in front of family, who could you fall apart in front of?

Fox looked in surprise at his sobbing sister. "Oh, Fancy...whatever it is, it will be alright. Come in, please." He looked at the numerous suitcases on the porch. "I take it you're going to be staying awhile."

Fancy nodded miserably, wiping her tears and smearing mascara around her eyes as she did so. "Yes, if it's OK."

"Fancy, this is your home too. Of course it's OK. Go sit down while I bring these in, and then we'll talk."

A few minutes later Fancy was sitting across from him at the kitchen table, eating half of his ham sandwich as he poured her a glass of milk.

"So what's going on?" He asked as he settled back into his chair. "Did you and Luis have a fight?"

Fancy shrugged. "It wasn't really a fight."

Fox looked at her curiously. "What was it, then?"

Fancy took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry again. Finally, she was able to speak again. "It was...the end, Fox. I think it's over. For good. There is no more Luis and me."

Fox couldn't hide his surprise. "Fancy, what are you talking about? You and Luis are crazy about each other! I didn't even know you two were having problems. How can it be over?"

Fancy set down the remainder of her sandwich, suddenly losing her appetite. "Sheridan." She mumbled.

No other explanation was needed. Fox sat back in his chair with a sigh. "I see." He said quietly. And he did...boy, did he. Suddenly he saw it again, so clearly, Kay and Miguel, wrapped in each other's arms in Tabitha's living room, so intent on their embrace that they didn't even notice him until he'd dropped the flowers he'd brought for Kay and stumbled backwards, trying to escape what he was seeing.

"It's the ex factor." He said, almost to himself. "Some people just can't let them go, their first loves." He sighed heavily.

"Fox, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject." Fancy's voice was sympathetic.

"No, this isn't about me." Fox shook off his melancholia. "This is about you and Luis. Has he been seeing Sheridan, is that what this is about?"

"No...well, yes. He has been seeing Sheridan, but not the way you think. She's just been very needy since the truth about Chris, or Gianni as I guess is more accurate, came out. Plus she still doesn't know if she'll be able to keep James. And it's not like I don't understand what she's going through, Fox, because I do, and I sympathize. But why does she always have to lean on Luis? And why does he have to drop everything at a moment's notice and go running to her every time? Do you know what he did tonight? He didn't show up for our first anniversary dinner because Sheridan needed him. He didn't even act like it was a big deal. And it's not the first time. It's not even the second, or the third time. I think he's still in love with her, Fox, and I deserve better. I can't lie in bed awake every night, wondering when it's all going to blow up in my face, wondering when he'll finally decide to go back to her. No, it's better if I just end this now."

Her words were strong, but the misery on her face was even more telling. Fancy looked devastated, and Fox felt lousy for her. Not only that, but he suddenly felt the need to beat Luis's ass. He made a mental note to schedule it in his calendar.

"You do deserve better, Fancy. I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better, but I know firsthand that there isn't. This is going to take time, but it will get better."

"Will it?" Fancy looked at him, half hopeful, half cynical.

Fox shook his head at his sister's questioning look. "I hope so, Fancy, but I'm still waiting for it to get better on this side too. All I can say is that it has to, because I can't imagine going through life feeling this low." He reached across the table and squeezed his sister's hand.

Fancy nodded slowly. "We'll be there for each other, Fox. And you're right - we will get through this."

The siblings smiled at each other, but deep down, neither one of them was so sure.

The Crane Mansion-mid morning

"Mrs. Crane! Oh, I'm sorry, it's Mrs. Winthrop now, of course. How lovely to see you again." Ella, the Crane housekeeper, opened the door, smiling.

"Why don't you just try calling me Theresa?" Theresa smiled at the woman as she walked inside.

"Oh, I couldn't do that." Ella shut the door and turned to face her. "It completely violates the subservient relationship between servant and wealthy, upper crust employer-or ex employer, as the case may be. I'd be thrown out of the housekeeper's union on my rear, so I would."

"Funny." Theresa grinned at her. "Anyway, I'm just here to get some of my old sketchbooks that I left behind. I need some new ideas for our summer line. I'm hoping some old ones will light a fire under me."

"Certainly. Is there anything I can get for you?" Ella asked.

"No, I'll just be a minute." Theresa started to walk up the stairs, then stopped as she watched Ella go into the living room and begin picking up what looked like empty cartons of nearly every ice cream known to man-and a half empty bottle of vodka. Fox apparently had had quite a night. Curiously, she walked into the living room after the housekeeper, and her eyes widened as she saw a sleeping Fancy on the sofa.

"Oh, Fancy! What's she doing here?" She asked Ella in a loud whisper.

Ella shrugged as she continued to clean. "I have no idea, Mrs. Winthrop. I found her this morning, along with all of her suitcases and all of these." She looked at the ice cream cartons and liquor bottle in distaste. "I take it she's staying for a while."

Theresa looked at Fancy, concerned. "Ella, do you mind cleaning this up later? I think Fancy and I need to have a little chat."

"Of course, Mrs. Winthrop." Ella ignored the look Theresa shot her and walked out of the room.

"Hey, Fancy." Theresa sat down on the couch and gingerly patted Fancy's back. "Wake up."

"Hmmm." Fancy groaned loudly and blearily opened her eyes. She looked, confused, at Theresa's face then back at the mess on the coffee table, and groaned even louder. "Kill me now."

"Fancy, sit up and talk to me. What's going on? Why are you here?" Theresa tapped her foot on the ground impatiently.

Fancy finally managed to pull herself into a sitting position, looking at Theresa wearily. "I'm here because...well, I left Luis. We're over, done, finished."

"What? Why?" Theresa was shocked by Fancy's words. "What happened, Fancy?"

"My dear, sweet aunt is what happened." Fancy was in no mood to mince words. "She crooks her finger and Luis comes running like a loyal little lap dog. Never mind the fact that I'm his girlfriend. Never mind that we've been living together for nearly six months. You know what's really stupid? Until this mess with Sheridan and Chris happened, I actually thought he might be getting ready to propose. Isn't that a laugh?" She chuckled bitterly and reached for the vodka bottle.

"Oh no, you don't." Theresa snatched it out of her reach. "No more downward spiral for you. One night of vodka and ice cream was more than enough. The Fancy Crane I know doesn't sit around feeling sorry for herself."

"Oh yeah?" Fancy gave Theresa a sour look. "What does she do, then?"

"She fights." Theresa said firmly. "And I'm going to help you. By the time we're done with Luis, he'll be sorry that he ever chose Sheridan over you, and believe me...he'll never make that mistake again."

**Sheridan's Cottage**

Gwen's high heels click clacked on the stone walkway as she walked, lost in thought. She and Sheridan hadn't had much of a chance to catch up lately. Every time they'd gotten together, it was generally to talk legal strategy concerning the custody battle. But not today-she'd delliberately cleared her morning schedule to spend some time with her best friend. With luck, she and Sheridan would just be able to kick back, relax, and gossip for the next few hours, something she suspected Sheridan desperately needed to do to get her mind off of everything.

Just as she reached Sheridan's front door it opened. Gwen instinctively backed up, her mouth opening in slight surprise as Luis emerged.

"Luis, hello! This is unexpected." She smiled at him.

"Oh, hello, Gwen." Luis's voice was glum. "Nice to see you." He gave her a sham of a smile and then headed off down the pathway.

Gwen turned to Sheridan, who was standing in the doorway watching him go. "Well, isn't he a ray of sunshine today?" She walked inside and Sheridan closed the door behind her. "What's going on with him?"

Sheridan frowned, looking concerned. "It's Fancy. She moved out of their apartment last night. I think she's leaving him for good."

"What?" Gwen sat down on the couch, feeling amazed. "Why?"

Sheridan joined her on the couch. "It's all my fault, Gwen. Yesterday I was so upset about the letter I got from Chris, and Luis was the first person I thought to call. What I didn't know was that he was supposed to be having dinner with Fancy. Not just any dinner-they were celebrating their one year anniversary."

"Oh!" Gwen grimaced. "Bad move on his part, that's for sure. But wait-didn't he tell you he had to go?"

Sheridan shook her head. "No. He just called Fancy and tried to cancel. I think it's obvious she didn't take it well."

"Who would? Poor Fancy." Gwen frowned. "But you do understand what this means? He chose_ you _over Fancy! He still loves you, Sheridan, and now that Fancy's out of the picture, well, this is your chance."

Sheridan looked uncertain. "I don't know, Gwen."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Gwen looked at her in bewilderment. "Do you or do you not still love Luis?"

Sheridan sighed. "I do. I never stopped loving him."

"Well, then, don't just sit around biting your nails. I can guarantee you Fancy won't. Once she realizes what she's given up, she's going to want him back. You have to make your move before then."

"Gwen, doesn't that just seem...well, sort of wrong? I don't think I can do that to Fancy." Sheridan nervously played with her hair.

"You're not doing anything to Fancy. She left him, remember? You are just following your heart, like you should have done a long time ago. You and Luis are meant to be together, Sheridan. And don't worry-you are not alone in this. I'm going to help you, and together, we'll make sure Luis is back in your arms before you know it." Gwen smiled at Sheridan brightly, and unable to stop herself, Sheridan smiled back.

**The Crane Building  
****  
Theresa Winthrop's Office  
**  
Theresa looked up from her sketchpad at the knock on her door.

"Come-" She started to call, but the door was already opening.

"Oh, it's you." Theresa's voice was unenthusiastic as she greeted Gwen. "You know, Emily Post would advise you to wait for a response before barging in."

"Don't care." Gwen shrugged. "I just came by to go over the visitation schedule with you for the next month." She indicated the printed calendar she held in her hand.

Theresa frowned. "I have a perfectly good assistant that I pay a lot of money too that you can make appointments with. Besides, Kieran and Ethan really should be here for these little meetings that we're forced to have every month."

"Why? So they can smile, nod, and say 'yes, dear', like usual?" Gwen grinned as she sat down uninvited in the chair in front of Theresa's desk.

Theresa had to concede that Gwen had a point. "True. We do have them well trained, don't we?" She looked over the schedule. "Everything looks fine except Ethan and I would like to have the girls for the last weekend of the month starting on Thursday. EJ has a three day weekend, and it's a good time for us to do something fun."

Gwen bit her lip in consternation. She hated giving up those three day weekends with Sarah and Jane, but she really didn't have a choice. Ethan and Theresa-especially Theresa-held all the cards in the custody arrangement. It was only due to Theresa voluntarily allowing Gwen to keep custody of Jane that she had her at all, and she knew it was in her best interest to keep Theresa happy. As for Sarah, her father Ethan had joint custody of her and could have her that weekend regardless. Sighing, she nodded. "Fine. But I would like the next three day weekend."

"That can probably be arranged." Theresa made the changes to the calendar, then put it in her copier. Then she and Gwen signed both copies, as they did every month, in case of later disagreements. Ethan had been astonished when he'd returned from his year in Jesenik to see how well the two had worked out the scheduling between them, with an almost complete lack of screaming or physical violence. They'd asked him if he wanted to change anything, but he wisely remembered the adage that said 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' and kept his mouth shut.

"That's that." Gwen folded her copy, put it in her purse, and stood to go. "Oh, have you seen Fancy lately?" She asked, trying to keep her voice casual.

Theresa was immediately suspicious. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Gwen murmured, moving towards the door. Theresa eyed her sternly until she broke down. "Fine. I saw Sheridan this morning. She told me that Luis and Fancy had broken up."

"They have not broken up." Theresa snapped through gritted teeth. "This is...well, just a temporary little bump in the road. A minor setback, if you will. Luis and Fancy will be back together again before you know it."

"Keep dreaming, Theresa. From what I understand, Fancy moved out. That sounds pretty final to me. Besides, if she and Luis get back together, it will only delay the inevitable. He belongs with Sheridan, heart, body, and soul. To borrow one of your phrases, it's fate."

"Oh, please. That ship not only sailed a long time ago, it docked, all passengers disembarked, and it's since been dismantled and sold for scrap. Luis and Sheridan are over. He's in love with Fancy, and soon, he's going to figure out that he can't live without her."

Gwen laughed. "You are more delusional then ever, Theresa. I suppose it's nice that you want to protect Fancy from the truth, but in the end, you'll only hurt her more. She and Luis will never have what he and Sheridan had."

"I hope not." Theresa snapped back. "Because their relationship was flimsier than a house made of straw."

Gwen scoffed loudly. "We'll just see about that." She headed towards the door.

Theresa's eyebrows raised. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to help Sheridan get Luis back?'

Gwen whirled around to face her. "Are you going to deny that you're trying to help Fancy?" She accused.

"Not at all." Theresa crossed her arm. "In fact, I think we should make this interesting."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gwen eyed her warily.

"A bet, Gwen. I say we make a little wager on who's going to end up with Luis. You up for it?" Theresa smiled archly.

Gwen set her purse back down and turned back towards Theresa. "That depends. What exactly would we bet? Neither one of us needs money, and besides, gambling is tacky."

"Snob." Theresa muttered under her breath. Then she resumed speaking in a normal tone. "You're right though, a monetary prize would be boring. Let me think." She tapped her fingers on her desk for a minute, then a smile spread across her face. "You are going to the annual Crane Ball, aren't you?"

"Don't I always?" Gwen queried, sounding bored.

"Well, Fox made me promise to host it again this year, even though I'm no longer Mrs. Alistair Crane, thank God." Theresa rolled her eyes. "And as usual, the press will be there, along with everyone who's anyone. The terms I suggest are these: we have until the Crane Ball to get Luis together with the woman he loves. If he's with Sheridan by then, you win. If he's with Fancy, and you know he will be, then I win."

"Win what?" Gwen was getting impatient.

"It's not really so much what you win." Theresa smiled. "It's what the loser has to do." She leaned over and whispered in Gwen's ear.

Gwen pulled back and looked her in astonishment. "You are insane, you know that?" She shook her head. "That would be in all the papers. It would be completely humiliating!"

Theresa grinned. "Scared, Gwen?"

"No." Gwen snapped. "I just had a moment of pity for you, that's all. Because it will be you who's completely embarrassed yet again. I am going to win this one, hands down. You're on." She reached out and shook Theresa's hand.

"Excellent. Until the ball, then. That gives us a couple of months. And there will be no dirty tricks, of course." Theresa crossed her fingers behind her back.

"Of course." Gwen smiled sweetly, also crossing her fingers. Smiling angelically, she backed out of the room, then broke into a hurried trot down the stairs to her office. For she had a lot of work to do...

To Be Continued...

_Coming Soon:_

_Jessica overhears a useful conversation between Gwen and Kieran. In the meantime, Tabitha and Endora get more than one unexpected visitor..._


	3. Surprise

**The Matchmakers**

_Chapter Three:_

_Surprise!_

_Thanks SO much to those who have reviewed so far - hope you all continue to enjoy the story!_

**Afternoon  
****The Crane Building  
**  
"I'm sorry but Mr. Winthrop isn't in." Arthur replaced the phone on the receiver and looked at the young woman standing in front of him. "I don't know if he will be back later or not."

"Oh, that's OK." Jessica twisted a piece of dark hair around her finger and smiled at the security officer. "If you could maybe let me go up anyway-I just need to leave him a note." She smiled sweetly at the older man, throwing in a good batting of the eyelashes as well.

"Of course." Arthur pressed a button and Jessica pushed open the turnstile, heading towards the elevator. She looked back to see if Arthur was watching. He wasn't. Smiling to herself, she stepped inside, but she didn't press the button that would take her to her brother's office. Instead, she chose the sixth floor...the floor where Gwen Brady's office was located.

**Gwen's Office**

Gwen looked up in surprise as a plastic container was set down on her desk.

"Kieran! What brings you here?" She asked, smiling, as she sat down her pen.

Kieran smiled at his wife as he sat on the corner of his desk. "Do I need an excuse to have lunch with you?"

Gwen returned his smile. "I'm glad you came. We haven't had a lot of alone time lately between having the girls, and me working during the day and you spending your nights running The Briar Rose."

"That's what I was thinking. We need to do something about this, love. We're still newlyweds, after all. We need to make more time for us."

"Well this is a good start. It was very sweet of you to bring me lunch." Gwen smiled at her husband. "You're going to stay and eat with me, aren't you?"

"Of course." Kieran finished pouring her drink and handed it to her, then got a glass for himself from the basket he'd brought up. "How has your day been so far?"

Gwen shrugged. "Nothing particularly out of the ordinary. We don't have any real exciting cases at the moment-just your run of the mill legal dealings. I've been doing research all morning. How about you? How are things at the Briar Rose?"

"Well as can be expected. The transition period has been much easier than expected-our patronage is actually up quite a bit. We've decided to hire more staff."

"That's wonderful!" Gwen smiled at her husband.

As they continued to talk between bites, Jessica, who had her back pressed against the wall outside the door, rolled her eyes. This was such a waste of time. Ivy had told her to be more subtle in her plan of attack and had suggested she try to dig up some dirt on Gwen. Something that could turn Kieran against her. There had to be something-Gwen was just too nice lately. It wasn't natural-she had to be hiding something. That's why Jessica had come to the Crane Building. She had planned to search Gwen's office while the other woman was out to lunch, but like most of her plans this one seemed doomed to failure too. Not only was Gwen not leaving her office, Kieran was there with her, and Jessica was stuck listening to the newlyweds coo all over each other. She wanted to vomit.

Still, Gwen had mentioned that she and Kieran hadn't had enough time together lately. Maybe that was a good sign-maybe their busy schedules would put some tension into their relationship. Jessica cursed herself for the millionth time for coming on too strong and getting herself fired from The Briar Rose. If she had played her cards right, she'd been working with Kieran every night and she might have had him just where she wanted him now. Ivy was right about being more subtle-thankfully, she was there to guide her.

Jessica snapped back to herself. Kieran and Gwen were still talking and eating. It didn't look like they were leaving anytime soon. She'd might as well go. Jessica turned to walk away but then stopped. Maybe just a couple more minutes, since she'd come all the way out here.

She settled in and began to listen once more...

"Oh, I almost forgot." Gwen sat down her cup and smiled at her husband. "I spoke to Sarah's therapist this morning. He thinks Sarah has made extraordinary progress and is ready to stop seeing him." Her eyes sparkled. "Isn't that incredible?"

"That is great news, sweetheart." Kieran leaned over and kissed her. "She is an amazingly resilient little girl. Thank God her time in Moreau Manor didn't have more of a traumatic effect on her than it has."

"No, thank you, Kieran." Gwen's tone was serious. "The therapist has told us time and time again that if you had not been around when Sarah was just a baby and desperately needing to bond with a loving adult, it could have been so much worse. Without proper love and emotional care, the trauma could have been irrepairable. I am so grateful to you."

"Thank you, love." Kieran smiled. "But it wasn't all me, you know. I didn't know of Sarah's existence until she was almost six months old. It was Marie, her nursemaid, that took such good care of her up until then. She loved her, you know, unlike Sarah's later nannies, who were just there for the money."

"Marie." Gwen frowned as she tried to place the name. "Yes, you told me about her when we were in Jesenik. She was taking care of Sarah, and you two were involved, so she decided to tell you about her."

"That's right." Kieran nodded, his eyes cloudy as he lost himself in the memories for a moment. Then he caught sight of Gwen's concerned expression and his eyes cleared. "Sorry, love-lot of memories, most of them awful. But not all of them. The first time I met Sarah I felt something I've never felt before. I knew-I just knew that I was meant to take care of her. And to bring her back to her parents."

"I know you don't like talking about it." Gwen hesitated. "But there are things I need to know, and Sarah will need to know when she's older. For example, what happened to Marie? If there's a way, I'd like to thank her for what she did for my daughter. Do you know how we could find her?"

Sadness was in Kieran's expression. "I'm sorry, love, it's not possible. Marie is...well..."

"Oh no." Gwen looked horrified at the blunder she had just made. "She's dead, isn't she?"

"I'm not certain, but it seems impossible that she could have survived." Kieran sighed. "Do you remember when I told you about Claude's wives? About the last one, who stabbed him and then escaped?"

"Yes." Gwen looked puzzled for a minute, then shock filled her expression. "It was Marie?"

Kieran nodded. "Yes. Claude hired her to take care of Sarah, but she was a stunningly beautiful person. She caught his eye, more's the pity. She hated him, but when he showed his interest...well, Marie convinced herself that if she married him, she could get him to forget about his demented plans for Sarah and raise her as a normal child, as their daughter. She thought being a good wife to him would change him. She was so optimistic, and as stubborn as she was good hearted. Do you know who reminds me of her?" He suddenly sat up straight as a thought occured to him. "Theresa!" He grinned. "It has been bothering me for months, trying to figure out why she seemed so familiar to me."

"Oh, great." Gwen rolled her eyes. "I really wanted to know that Theresa reminds you of your sainted ex-lover. I can't tell you what a shine you just put on my day."

Kieran laughed. "No, no. One, Marie wasn't a saint. And two, I was never in love with her, and she didn't love me either. At least not in that way. We just-well, we were lonely, and bored, and we entertained each other. I did care for her, however, and she didn't deserve what happened to her."

"What did happen to her?" Gwen asked quietly, her tone serious now. "Why did she attack him?"

Kieran shook his head, looking at the floor. "Same thing that happened to all his other wives. He began hurting her, began beating her. She tried to put up with it for Sarah's sake. She wanted so badly to be able to protect her from him, but finally she just snapped. He had taken her into his office one day and I don't know what he did, but suddenly his personal guard heard him screaming. We came in to find she'd stabbed him with a letter opener. Unfortunately, it wasn't a bad wound. But by the time we reached him, she was gone. We were ordered to search for her, and we did. The woods, and the village-for days, we searched. I hoped that I would find her first, that perhaps I could help her escape Jesenik for good. He would have killed her if we'd brought her back to him. But there was never any trace of her. And there was the problem that we were in the midst of a raging blizzard. I think she-well, I think she ran into the woods, but she wasn't prepared to survive in those types of conditions. I believe she died out there, all alone, and I did nothing."

"Honey..." Gwen reached a comforting hand out to him. "You did all you could."

Kieran shook his head. "No, Gwen, I didn't. So many times I heard her scream, saw what he was doing to her, and I did nothing. Not just for her, but for all the villagers he tortured. Even Rina, and she was so young." He sighed. "I had to keep silent, had to play my part as his vicious pawn, for Sarah's sake. If she lost me, she would have had no one. I made my choice, but I still have to live with it."

For a moment, Gwen felt helpless. There was nothing she could do to make Kieran feel better, nothing to absolve him of his crimes. She knew he'd resigned himself long ago to the choices he had made, but it still haunted him. Instead, she just wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his shoulder, the only way she could let him know that no matter what, she was there for him.

And as they stood there in silence, sharing the moment, Jessica moved away from the door with a smile on her face. 'I've been going about this all wrong.' She thought to herself as she entered the elevator. 'It's Kieran I should have been digging up the dirt on. But their little heart to heart just gave me an excellent lead. Marie, huh? I think I need to find out a little bit more about her. And thanks to their very helpful name dropping, I know just who to ask.'

A few minutes later, she was climbing into the back of a taxi. "Where to, Miss?" The driver inquired politely.

"The Book Cafe, please." Jessica sat back in the seat. It was time to get to know Rina a little better.

**Lennox Residence**

Tabitha frowned as she peered into her magical bowl. 'Boring...' She murmured to herself. 'Boring, boring, boring... My, things are dull in Harmony tonight. Maybe I'll pop over to the Salem channel.'

A sudden knock on the door put an end to that thought, at least for the moment. Tabitha quickly whisked a cover over the bowl and hurried to the door, pulling it open.

"Fox! What are you doing here?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "If you've come to see Kay, I'm afraid she's out."

Fox couldn't help but wince at the sound of her name. "No, I'm absolutely not here to see Kay. I just wanted to return something of yours. This." He held out a book with a distinctive red cover and Tabitha's mouth dropped open.

"What's this?" She pretended ignorance. "_Ten Ways to Win the Woman of Your Dreams_? Why on earth would you think that was mine?"

Fox looked at her curiously. "Because I found it in the closet when I was living here."

"Oh, I see." Tabitha bit her lip. "Come in, Fox. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"No, thanks." Fox followed her into the living room and closed the door. "I really have to go, but I would like to see Endora for a minute, if you don't mind."

"Of course not." Tabitha gestured to the table, where Endora was coloring. The child beamed when she saw who the visitor was. "Fox!" She chirped, holding out her small arms to him. With a laugh Fox swung her upwards into his arms, and smiled fondly at her.

"I've missed you, Endora." He murmured, stroking the child's blonde hair.

"About the book..." Tabitha had taken the last few minutes to think of a cover story. "You were right, it was mine. I'd nearly forgotten, but I bought it for a friend who was having romance troubles, but then he met someone so..." She shrugged. "I just tucked it into the closet and forgot all about it."

"Hmm." Fox really didn't seem to care one way or the other. "Well, it's probably better for your friend that he didn't get it. That book wrecked my life."

"What?" Tabitha's tea cup slipped from her hand. Thankfully, it was empty and didn't hit the table hard enough to break. "Wrecked your life? How so?"

Fox sighed. "I know it's stupid, but I started reading it. Kay and I were engaged but I guess I just knew, deep down, that something was wrong, even if I tried to deny it. So I started following some of the tips in it. It was a complete disaster. The simplest things just didn't turn out right. In fact, if it hadn't been for that book, I wouldn't have caught Kay and Miguel together that day. I left work early and bought her flowers, like one of the chapters suggested. Well, you know what I walked in on-the two of them." He sighed. "That was it. The worst day of my life. The day that I lost the woman I loved."

"You didn't exactly lose her." Tabitha mumbled under her breath. "You kicked her to the curb, as you Americans so quaintly put it."

Thankfully, Fox didn't hear her. He gave Endora a final kiss, then set her back down. "I'll visit more often, I promise. Or maybe you could bring Endora by the house sometimes. I'd really like that."

_'Over my dead body.' _Tabitha thought to herself, knowing she would never bring Endora within a hundred feet of Julian willingly, but she managed to smile sweetly as Fox made his exit. Then she turned to Endora, her eyes wide. "Did you hear that? Our book led him to find out that Miguel and Kay were still having an affair! I never realized..." Her hand played with her necklace nervously. "Oh dear. If Kay ever finds out, she'll never forgive me."

Endora had dropped her crayon, her lip trembling. Seeing the warning signs, Tabitha hurried over to her. "Oh darling, don't take it like that."

Endora burst into tears. _'Our book hurt Fox!' _She telepathed to her mother, sobbing.

"No, no, sweetpea. Don't think of it like that! Remember the spell, Endora. I enchanted the book to cause destruction to all those in love, but you put that spell on it to make it so it would only destroy love that wasn't true. If the love was true, then it would bring the lovers together! That means that the love Fox and Kay shared wasn't true, or else the book wouldn't have been able to tear them apart."

Endora looked at her mother, her chin quivering. _'Fox loved Kay!'  
_  
"Yes, of course he did, but she didn't love him. At least, not the way she loves Miguel. You see, if our book hadn't broken them up, it would have happened eventually anyway. And if Fox had gone ahead and married her, then lost her, it would have been even worse. We did them a favor in the long run, sweetpea. You'll see." She patted her daughter's small hand reassuringly.

Endora didn't look convinced but another knock at the door distracted them both. Tabitha sighed as she pulled herself to her feet. "What is this, social hour?" She grumbled to herself as she headed back to the door. Impatiently, she pulled the door back open, then stopped, shock freezing her in place. "No, no...it can't be!

'Who is it, Mommy?' Endora telepathed to her.

"I don't believe we've been introduced, actually." A sharp, high pitched voice answered her, and someone pushed past Tabitha and into the room. "Hello, Endora. My name is Charity."

Endora's eyes widened as she stared at the young, blonde woman who was standing in their living room.

_'You can hear me?' _She looked Charity over carefully. _'How?'  
_  
Tabitha started to say something but Charity held up an impatient hand to stop her. "I can hear you, Endora, because I have powers, just like you do. I am a Standish, after all." She shot Tabitha a cold look.

"But how..." Tabitha gestured helplessly. "I mean, what are you doing here, sweetheart?" She plastered a fake smile on her face. She didn't know what Charity was doing here, or why she seemed to suddenly know so much more than she should, and it was alarming. If she could just get that brat to drop her guard for a moment, maybe she could hit her over the head with something and throw her to her friends in the basement before anyone even knew the meddling munchkin had returned.

"Save the sweet old lady act. I'm not buying it anymore." Charity turned and eyed Tabitha. "You see, a lot has changed since I've been gone. I've been exploring my powers, honing my abilities, seeking teachers to help me find my destiny. And I've discovered what I was meant to do with my life." She straightened up, puffing out her chest in self importance. "I am a child of the light, Tabitha, and it is my duty to eradicate evil wherever I find it. Starting with _**you**_."

**Whitney's Home  
**  
"Mama!" Miles chortled, banging on the table. "Cookies!" The toddler reached impatiently towards the out of reach plate on the counter.

"Just one, sweetie. It will be dinnertime soon." Whitney handed him a cookie, then carried him into the living room. "Look, baby, Barney's on. Watch that and behave yourself while I make dinner, ok?" She stroked his head and then walked back into the kitchen.

A few minutes later she put the chicken breasts she'd prepared into the frying pan. As she was about to turn it on, the phone rang. Whitney quickly set the burner on low and then grabbed the phone from the wall.

"Hello? Oh, hi, Theresa!" She listened for a few minutes as she set the table, balancing the phone between her chin and shoulder. "OK, what happened? Fancy and Luis broke up? Are you serious?" She continued to prepare for the dinner meal, moving between the stove and refrigerator and occasionally taking items from the cupboard. Theresa was on one of her talk a mile a minute rants, and it was only necessary for Whitney to interject the random 'uh huh' and 'right' as the conversation continued.

Finally Theresa paused for breath and Whitney frowned. "OK, I don't get why you're talking about Gwen. What does she have to do with Fancy and Luis? _What? _You made a bet with her? Are you crazy?" She sighed. "Yes, of course I'll help you, but why do you always have to-"

The doorbell rang at that moment and Whitney rolled her eyes. "Great. It's been dead quiet all day and now everything happens at once. Theresa, I'll call you back after dinner, alright?" She hung up the phone, turned off the stove and headed to the door, wondering if her mother had decided to drop by to check on them. Or maybe it was Simone - they hadn't had much sister time lately.

She pulled open the door with a smile, then her mouth dropped as she saw who it was.

"Hey baby." Chad smiled at her, a suitcase by his side. "I'm back...for good."

**Crane Mansion - Outside**

"What a crappy night." Fancy grumbled as she pulled into the driveway of the Crane estate. "I've got Luis on the brain, no matter how hard I try not think about him, and it's wrecking everything. I couldn't concentrate in class tonight, I totally choked on the pop quiz, and to top it all off that tabloid photographer was waiting for me when class was over. As if ruining my police career with his non stop stalking wasn't enough, he's got to try to sink my legal career too? I want to be a prosecutor so badly but if I can't make it through law school..." She sighed. "I'm just going to have to pull it together. My life does not revolve around a man, no matter how fine-or wonderful-or loving..." She sighed, thinking that just a couple of nights ago she would have been going home to lie in his arms, and now she was going back to her childhood bedroom, to her empty bed, to a loneliness that was almost unbearable.

She opened the car door and got out, reaching back in to grab the stack of books on the passenger's seat. As she straightened up, she felt her head bump into someone. Gasping, she whirled around, books flying out of her hands and landing all over the pavement.

"What the-Luis! What are you doing here?" Fancy gasped.

"What do you think I'm doing here, Fancy?" Luis gave her a serious look. "You think you can just move out and end things without even speaking to me about it, and I'm going to just shrug my shoulders and let you go? I don't think so! We need to talk."

_To Be Continued..._

_**Coming Soon:**_

Fox decides to find the person who is trying to cheer him up.

Luis tries to win over Fancy.

Charity is more of a challenge than Tabitha had anticipated.


	4. Whole Lotta Trouble

_The Matchmakers_

_Chapter Four: Whole Lotta Trouble_

**Thank you so much to Emerald0319, SkintheKat, and Heather for your reviews!**

**At The Briar Rose  
**  
"Well, hello, Sheridan! This is a pleasant surprise." Kieran smiled at her as she walked in the door. "Didn't think you were the type to stop for a drink after a hard day's work."

Sheridan smiled. "Normally, I'm not, but I was actually hoping Gwen would be here. Is she?" She looked at Kieran hopefully.

He shook his head. "Sorry, she's home with the girls. Is it important? I'm sure I can arrange-"

"Oh no, please, don't put yourself out. I can always call her too, or stop by." Sheridan sighed. "Well, I guess I'll be going." Her gaze drifted across the room and stopped as she saw a morose figure at the bar, downing a drink. "Or maybe I'll stay for a few minutes."

Jared looked up as someone slid onto the stool next to him. "Oh, hello, Sheridan. How are you?" His words were slightly slurred.

Sheridan raised an eyebrow. "Better than you are, apparently. Is this a solo pity party, or can anyone join?"

Jared laughed. "You sure are developing a mouth lately, aren't you?" He flinched as he realized what he'd just said-and to his boss of all people. "I'm sorry. You're right-I've probably had a few too many."

Sheridan smiled at him. "I understand, believe me. What you need right now is something to eat-and a friend. And lucky for you, here I am. I'm offering my services." She signaled a passing waitress. "Excuse me, Miss...we need a table, please."

**xXx**

"Thank you for agreeing to come with me, Fancy." Luis opened the door to the Briar Rose and gestured her inside.

"Sure, no problem." Fancy murmured as he took her arm and steered her towards an empty table.

A few minutes later their drinks had arrived and Fancy was finally starting to relax. From the way Luis was acting, he felt horrible about what had happened the other night. Maybe there really was a chance for them after all.

"Fancy." Luis picked up her hand. "I never meant to hurt you. I'm so sorry that I let myself get so distracted. You were completely right to be so upset after I blew off our anniversary dinner. I was a jerk. When I came home and saw that you'd moved out...well-it hurt. It hurt more than anything and it made me realize that I'd taken you for granted. I don't want you out of my life, Fancy, I miss you. And I love you, you know that, don't you? I love you so much."

Fancy felt herself weakening. When he looked at her like that it was all she could do to keep from leaping across the table at him and- She shook her head, determined to remain strong, even if she was allowing her own fingers to caress his right back. "But what about Sheridan, Luis?"

"What about her?" Luis shrugged. "I care about her-I'm not going to lie. And I'm worried about her, especially with Chris/Gianni out to get her. But it's you I love, and it's you I want to be with. Give us another chance, Fancy. Move back in with me-tonight." He reached out and stroked her face and Fancy nearly melted right there on the floor.

"Well..." She smiled flirtatiously. "I suppose we could talk about it."

Luis grinned at her and sat back, looking relieved. "Oh, we're going to do more than talk tonight, if I have anything to say about it."

Fancy laughed, feeling herself flush with anticipation. "Is that so? And how are you going to get me to agree to that?" She suddenly felt lighthearted and giddy, the pain she'd felt the last few days evaporating. He loved her-he really did. Maybe they could make this work after all.

Luis leaned forward. "Do you really want to know?" He whispered huskily. Their eyes met and held each other for a moment, the sparks nearly visible between them. Then something behind Fancy caught Luis's eye and he straightened up, glowering.

"What the hell?" He muttered.

"Luis?" Fancy felt the connection break and her heart sank. "What is it?"

Luis looked at her, obviously distracted. "Uh...hold that thought, Fancy. I'll be right back." He got up from the table without another word, his expression grim. Fancy stared after him, wondering what had him so upset. Then she saw them, and her heart didn't just sink-it plummented right through her shoes and into the floor. Sheridan and Jared sat at another table, laughing together-and Luis was heading straight for them, his face like a thundercloud.

**xXx**

**  
**"Beer battered shrimp." Sheridan murmured, looking at the menu. "You know, I don't think I've ever had such a thing."

"Somehow I suspect beer battered anything wasn't big on the chef's menu at the Crane Mansion." Jared grinned as he looked at his own menu.

"You can say that again." Sheridan laughed. "I think I'm going to try it."

"Oh, feeling adventurous, are we?" Jared teased her. "Because if you are, I have a pickled egg I'd like to introduce you to."

Sheridan opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, she found herself distracted-by a very angry Luis.

"What the hell is going on here?" Luis snapped, grabbing Jared by the nape of his neck and dragging him to his feet. "Stay the hell away from her!"

"Luis!" Sheridan cried, standing up. "What are you doing?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Jared pulled himself out of Luis's grip and stared at him. "What is your problem, man?"

"You. You're my problem." Luis glared at him, his eyes shooting sparks, then turned to Sheridan. "What are you doing, Sheridan? This guy is bad news. You can't trust him."

"What?" Jared and Sheridan exclaimed simultaneously. Sheridan continued, feeling bewildered. "Luis, you know that's not true."

"What I know is this guy lied to everyone in Harmony about who he was for almost two years. He played us for fools, Sheridan. He even lied to my sister, and they were going to be married. He put you in danger, or have you forgotten that? He let you stay married and live in the same house with Chris, when he knew how dirty that guy was. You could have been killed!"

"I think you're forgetting the circumstances, Luis." Jared snapped. "Hello, FBI agent here, remember? I'm one of the good guys! Sheridan and Chris were under constant surveillance. We did our best to make sure she was as safe as possible. Now I didn't like not being able to tell her the truth about him, but we had to build our case. I did what I had to do, and I think as a cop you should be able to understand that."

"What I understand..." Luis growled. "Is that you're a lying, two faced bastard. I don't know why you're still in Harmony after Theresa left you at the altar, but you can be damn sure you're not getting your hooks into Sheridan, not if I have anything to say about it!"

As they continued to argue, Fancy stood up, watching the three of them with tears in her eyes. It was no use. She'd allowed herself to believe for a moment that she and Luis could work things out, but no matter what, Sheridan would always be there, like a ghost between them. Luis may say all the right words to her, do all the right things, but in the end, it was his ex that he would always find a reason to run to.

She moved slowly towards the door, hoping, although she knew it was futile, that she was wrong. That Luis would take his eyes from Sheridan, see her, and realize what he was doing, what he was giving up. She refused to look back but still, she was waiting and hoping to hear him call her name.

It didn't happen. His voice didn't ring out to stop her, his hand didn't reach for her. And unnoticed, Fancy opened the door and disappeared into the night, her heart breaking once again.

**The Lennox Residence**

Tabitha finally found her voice. "Charity, dear, what on earth are you talking about? Eradicate evil? What would that have to do with me?"

"Oh, Tabitha." Charity shook her head. "You didn't think I'd find out, did you? You see, I've been researching and using my powers to root out all sources of evil, and I knew there was something awful in Harmony. How could there not be, with all that's happened here? Imagine my surprise though, when I tried to trace it...and all roads kept leading back to dear, sweet Tabitha Lennox. I didn't believe it at first-I really didn't. Turns out though, that I'm not the only one who's had dealings with you. My teachers told me all about you, Tabitha. You are responsible for all the pain and misery in Harmony-you're a witch! And you killed..." She pointed an accusing finger at Tabitha, her eyes welling with tears. "You killed my mother!"

"Did not." Tabitha crossed her arms and looked defiantly at the young woman.

"You did too, Tabitha! I know you did-I've used my powers to reach back in time-to pull back the veil and see the truth!" Charity's voice raised to an indignant squawk.

"Well, then your crystal ball is broken, dear." Tabitha snapped. "Either that or your teachers are as inept as your mother was. Oh, don't look at me like that. She's not dead, you whiny chit!"

"What?" Charity gasped, her arms falling to her sides as shock colored her face. "She is! We never found her-and the fire..." She began to cry.

Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Charity, use what little common sense you have. Harmony Search and Rescue couldn't find a tree in the forest, much less a person. I admit I was trying to kill you. She cast a spell to stop me. It was supposed to protect you, but your mother was as bad with her powers as she was with her parenting skills. It backfired on her and put her in a state of limbo."

"L-limbo?" Charity asked shakily, her chin trembling.

"Yes, limbo." Tabitha brightened. "Would you like to see her again? I could send you there, you know. It's quite fun, really, except for the part where it's limbo and all. What do you say?"

Charity's face darkened and she narrowed her eyes. "You evil...you vile..."

"Witch?" Tabitha shrugged. "I believe we established that already. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"

"Oh, there's quite a bit I can do about it." Charity smiled, and Tabitha's eyes widened as she saw the glowing ball of light form on Charity's palm. "And Endora is going to help me."

'What?!' Endora's eyes widened.

**The Book Cafe**

Pilar looked around at the tables, half of them empty. The Briar Rose had really cut into their dinner traffic but she couldn't say she was upset about it. The Book Cafe was doing so well during the day, catering especially to commuters and delivering out to office buildings that profits were up considerably. She'd just have to readjust a few things-maybe offer a simpler dinner menu and divert some more staff to the morning shifts where they were almost always swamped. Yes, that would work... Lost in thought, she didn't notice the uniformed man in front of her until he cleared his throat.

"Oh, Sam! I'm sorry...I was just thinking..." She smiled at him. "What brings you in at this time?"

Sam smiled at her and indicated the container he was holding. "We're shortstaffed as usual down at the station so I'm working over. It was my turn to make the coffee run."

"Yes, it's really too bad that things didn't work out for Fancy. I think she would have made a welcome addition to the force and maybe she would have eased the burden a bit." Pilar shrugged.

"Yes, I was surprised at how good her instincts were. But with the paparazzi stalking her everywhere, showing up during her first drug bust and blowing the whole thing-well, it just wasn't going to work. Still, once she finishes law school and starts working in the D.A's office the Harmony police will have a great ally. Things have a way of working out the way they're supposed to. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure we're still on for breakfast tomorrow." Sam smiled at her and Pilar felt her pulse speed up.

"Of course, Sam." She smiled back at him. For the past week, Sam had shown up for the breakfast rush everyday and asked her to join him. It was rapidly becoming a regular routine for them, and Pilar had to admit that she looked forward to it. Maybe a little bit too much... Lately she'd had a hard time keeping Sam off her mind. The more time they spent together, the more she realized how much they had in common and how well they got along. And the more she resented Ivy for being the one at Sam's side, the one he was planning to spend the rest of his life with. There was no way that icy socialite was ever going to make the blue collar police chief happy, and Pilar had found it more and more difficult to restrain herself from telling him what a mistake he was making. She kept telling herself it was none of her business, that she shouldn't even care, but she did. How much, she really didn't want to explore.

Shaking the uncomfortable thoughts away, Pilar said goodnight to Sam and discreetly covered a yawn with her hand. She couldn't let her staff see how tired she was. She needed to set a good example for them all.

The chime on the front door sounded again and Pilar looked up idly to see Fox Crane coming through. Her eyes widened slightly. While it was true that he was a regular customer of theirs via delivery, she hadn't expected him to stroll inside for a meal anytime soon, especially with all the bad blood between him and her son, Miguel.

Laura, her hostess, picked up a menu and started forward but Pilar stopped her. "Laura, I'll serve Mr. Crane myself, please." She smiled authoritavely and took the menu, heading towards him.

"Fox, hello! This is a nice surprise. May I seat you?" She adopted a more formal tone then she normally would, the Book Cafe being a casual environment. Still, Fox was a Crane, even if she had known him since he was in diapers, and she couldn't help falling back into old routines.

"Oh, no, Pilar. Actually, I didn't come in to eat. I wanted to thank you, actually." Fox said, looking at her with a small smile.

"Thank me?" Pilar's eyebrows raised. "What on earth for?"

"For what you've been doing, you know, trying to cheer me up." Fox rubbed the back of his neck, perplexed by Pilar's obvious confusion. "I mean, I figured it was you putting all those special touches on my breakfast orders this past week. The smiley face pancakes, the notes, the extra muffins, the flowers... It was nice of you to go to the trouble."

"Fox, I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about. Someone has been doing things to your breakfast order?" Pilar stared at him in bewilderment.

"Yeah, I mean I thought it was you. I thought you felt bad because of Kay and Miguel..." Fox's voice trailed off.

"No. What I mean is, of course I feel terrible that you got hurt, Fox, but I haven't been doing anything to your orders." Pilar looked around in confusion. What had been happening in her cafe this past week?

**xXx  
**

In the cafe's kitchen, Rina frowned as her cell phone suddenly went off for the umpteenth time that day. She felt a burning desire to dump the irritating thing in the trash, but quickly shrugged off the ungrateful thought. The phone had been a gift from Theresa, who knew full well Rina never had such an item before, and normally she loved it. But lately, it had been more of a bane-ever since she'd made the mistake of giving Jessica Bennett her number. Looking at the Caller ID confirmed it-it was Jessica again. Rina rolled her eyes and shut the phone off in mid ring.

"Why is she calling me all the time?" She murmured to herself. It frankly bewildered her. Jessica hadn't paid her the least amount of attention in all the time she'd been in Harmony until these last few days. Now suddenly Jessica came into the cafe two or three times a day, always making an excuse to talk to her and acting like they were suddenly best friends. Rina barely knew her and she didn't understand why Jessica would suddenly act so desperate to be her friend. Nor, she had to admit to herself, did she particularly like her, but Rina hated to be rude. Maybe Jessica was just lonely. She knew that Paloma and Simone had fallen out with her-that had to be it. Jessica needed someone. Perhaps she should make a point to spend a little time with her after all.

"Order's up, Rina-booth six." One of the chefs, Mike, caught her attention. She picked up the plates and walked out of the kitchen to the dining area-and suddenly froze as she saw Fox deep in conversation with Pilar.

"Bloody hell!" The whisper slipped off Rina's lips before she could stop them, and she mentally kicked herself for swearing, something she tried hard not to do. It was just that seeing Fox here, in the flesh...she remembered the day last week, when she'd put the smiley face on his pancake. Ever since then, she'd done something to his breakfast. This morning she'd made a tiny buttercup garland and put in on an orange, drew a tiny face on it, and put it in the styrofoam box along with his pancakes and eggs. She knew it was a silly thing to do, but just the idea of him opening the box every day and smiling, having a second where the loneliness in his eyes was gone, was too much for her to resist.

Now, though, he was here, probably asking Pilar about it, and Rina suddenly felt like she'd done something very stupid. What had she been thinking, believing that a waitress's tricks would bring a moment's happiness to someone as powerful as Fox Crane? He was probably irritated-maybe she'd embarrassed Pilar and the Book Cafe with her playfulness. Flushing, she bit her lip. She should confess to them right now and apologize...but she couldn't. It would just be too humiliating. Maybe they wouldn't figure out it was her. Maybe they were talking about something else completely-that was it. He'd probably never even given it a second thought.

Deliberately she turned her face away as she passed the two, walking as fast as she could to the back booth, nearly dropping the plates on the table and not giving the customers even a tenth of her usual courtesy. She just wanted to get back to the safety of the kitchen, where she could go back to her corner and be anonymous again. Hurrying, she couldn't help but take a tiny peek out of the corner of her eye at Fox and Pilar, and realized to her horror that both of them were looking right at her, Pilar's expression that of someone who had just realized something surprising. Rina's face turned scarlet. They knew-they knew it was her. She nearly ran back into the kitchen, ignoring Mike's raised eyebrows as she dashed past him.

"I'm taking my break!" She called, and not waiting for his reaction, she hurried into the employee's break room. For the next few minutes she sat on the couch, heart pounding, waiting for the door to open and an angry Fox and Pilar to demand an explanation for her childish behavior. After ten minutes, her fear eased. They weren't coming; she'd overreacted. In a strange way, she felt disappointed as well as relieved. At least if Fox had gotten angry, she would have known that he'd noticed her. She didn't know why that was important to her-just the thought made her feel silly and vulnerable all over again.

Making her way back into the kitchen, Rina stopped to peer through the windowed door into the dining room. Pilar was back at the counter, going over receipts, and Fox was no where in sight. Exhaling, she smiled to herself and turned back to tell Mike she was available once again to take orders.

And then, she found herself face to face with Fox Crane.

_**To Be Continued...**_

_**in the next chapter:**_

_Jessica's mental instability becomes more apparent_

_Chad pleads with Whitney_

_Luis and Sheridan have words_

_Charity forces Endora to choose sides.  
_


	5. Throwing Down

The Matchmakers

Chapter Five:

_Throwing Down_

**Bennett Household**

Jessica hung up the phone, frowning. "She didn't answer. I left a message."

Ivy crossed her arms. "Why does Rina hardly ever return your phone calls, Jessica? I hope you didn't get off on the wrong foot with her. She seems like a sensitive young woman." She gave Jessica a stern look.

Jessica scoffed. "More like a total stick in the mud. Do you know how hard it's been, spending so much time trying to suck up to her? She's so boring. She doesn't date, party, drink, she doesn't even smoke, -all she does is go to work and go to school. We have totally nothing in common."

"Yes, I see how a nice, hardworking young woman would seem like she comes from a different world to you." Ivy murmured.

Jessica gave her a cold look. "Are you on my side or what?"

Ivy sighed. "Of course I'm on your side, Jessica. It's just that you said yourself going through Rina is the best way to get dirt on Kieran. So you're just going to have to suck up a little harder. And you really should stop distancing yourself from your old friends. I never see you with Jessica and Simone anymore and people are talking about how distant you've been. The last thing you need is for Gwen and Kieran to suspect that your supposed remorse is just an act. What you need to do is get back into circulation with a smile on your face. Make sure that no one suspects anything-then strike when their backs are turned. You play things my way, Kieran will be yours." A cold smile spread across her face.

"Kieran." Jessica repeated softly, her eyes going unfocused. "He wants me, Ivy. I hear him, in my head. He wants me to save him, from Gwen and from the marriage she forced him into. It was all a trick, I know it was. A trick to keep us apart, but it won't work." A shaky laugh broke from her lips. "It won't work, Ivy. Everyone wants to keep us apart but I'll stop them. I'll make them pay." She stared off into the distance. "And pay, and pay, and pay..." Her whisper trailed off into the darkness.

"Indeed." Ivy eyed Jessica warily. The young woman didn't notice. She was still staring off in the distance as she sat in her chair, rocking herself back and forth, whispering something Ivy couldn't hear. For a moment, a shiver of apprehension ran down Ivy's spine. Using Jessica and her obsession with Kieran to bring Gwen down, and eventually Theresa, had seemed like a golden opportunity but as time went on, Jessica's mental instability was becoming more and more apparent. Maybe this was a mistake-who knew what the girl was capable of?

"Jessica-right here. Focus." Ivy snapped her fingers in front of Jessica's face and she looked up, her eyes clearing. "Sorry, Ivy, I was just thinking." Her voice was back to normal now and Ivy sighed with relief. She was being silly. Jessica was a little overdramatic and certainly had some issues but she wasn't dangerous or anything. It would be fine. Ivy would get what she wanted, which was Gwen's complete and utter downfall, and Theresa's permanent removal from Ethan's life, and Jessica would get what she wanted-if it didn't interfere with Ivy's plans. As long as her soon to be stepdaughter played her part, all would be well...

**Whitney Russell-Crane's Residence**

For a moment, Whitney couldn't speak as she stared at her estranged husband, a man she hadn't seen in nearly two months. "Chad." She whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." Chad gave her a searching look. "I know I left without really explaining, and I haven't called or written, but there is so much I need to tell you. I missed you and Miles-so much, baby."

"So much that you left a goodbye note on our door and just disappeared without a word. Oh, not to mention all the cheating you did before you ran out on us. I'm not interested in what you have to say, Chad, and I don't know what you're thinking, showing up on my doorstep with your suitcase like I'm just going to take you back like nothing ever happened." Whitney's voice was cool as she folded her arms, giving him a reproachful look.

"Oh, this?" Chad looked at his suitcase in surprise. "No, Whit, it's not what you think. I came here right from the airport in a cab, but I didn't expect you to let me just move back in. I'm going to stay at the Seascape Inn. I've already booked a room. It's just I couldn't go any long without seeing you. Please, can I come in?"

Whitney hesitated for a moment, but then she heard a distant giggle from Miles, who was still in the living room. At the sound, Chad's eyes filled with emotion and he gave her a desperate look. "Please, Whitney, don't keep me from my child."

"Alright." Whitney sighed. "I just made dinner. I always make a little too much-haven't really gotten the hang of cooking for just me and Miles, I guess. You can stay and eat with us, but after that, you go to the inn. And don't expect anything from me, you understand? I won't keep Miles from you but I still feel the way that I did before. I still want a divorce."

Chad's jaw tightened for a minute and his eyes went dark, then he nodded slowly. "Alright. I won't pressure you into anything. Tonight, I just want to spend some time with my son-with my family. Thank you, Whitney." He followed her inside, leaving his suitcase right inside of the front door.

An hour later, dinner was finished and Miles was sagging in his high chair, his eyelids droopy. Whitney stood up to get him out, but Chad stopped her.

"Please, let me. I missed this." He lifted his sleepy son out of the high chair. "I'll be back. Before I go, I'd like us to talk a bit. I think you deserve an explanation." He walked down the hall still carrying the toddler and disappeared into Miles's bedroom.

Feeling nervous, Whitney quickly cleared the table while he was gone. He'd been so polite and sweet all throughout the meal, and it was nice, but she already felt like she'd given him too much ground, too much reason to hope. It was easy enough for him to charm her through a meal, but she'd tried sharing a life with him, raising their son together, and he hadn't been able to handle it. He'd betrayed her, dozens of times. She couldn't see how she'd ever be able to trust him again, but it hurt...it hurt to know that she still wanted him, she still loved him. She'd missed him so much and just that made her angry all over again. He wasn't worth her tears and yet, she shed them for him anyway.

"Whitney." Chad's quiet voice broke into her thoughts. He'd returned from putting Miles to bed. "Let's talk, please."

She sighed, but took a seat at the table again and he quickly joined her.

"I think you deserve to know where I've been and what I've been doing." Chad looked at her steadily.

"I don't know if I really want to hear about it, Chad." Whitney looked down at her folded hands on the table.

"I've been in Prescott, Arizona." Chad paused for a minute. "I thought about what you said, Whitney, about how I should have gotten help for my problems and how I expected you to push me into it and take care of me. I needed to be a man and step up and straighten myself out, and that's what I've been trying to do. I've been in a center for people with problems like mine. Problems like..."

He swallowed hard. "It's still a little difficult to say it, but I'm a sex addict, Whitney. I have a problem controlling myself. But I have been committed to turning my life around and it's because of you and Miles. I know you're not ready, but I want you back, and I will do everything I can to get you back. Everything and anything, Whitney. Know that. You may still want a divorce, but I'm nowhere near ready to give you one."

**The Briar Rose**

Luis was breathing heavy, his eyes narrowed in anger as he lashed out at Jared.

"Get my hooks into Sheridan?" The other man stared at him with a mix of bewilderment. "You've got to be kidding. What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you and whatever agenda you've got going now. It's not going to work, and you need to stay away from Sheridan or I'm going to make you sorry you were ever born." Luis's voice was cold and angry.

Sheridan got to her feet, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment and feeling her own temper rise. "Luis, what has gotten into you? First of all, I understand why Jared did what he did, and you seem to forget that he may have saved my life the night that he arrested Chris. Secondly, last I checked I was a grown woman, perfectly capable of deciding for myself who I should spend time with. I don't need you to tell me who's good for me to be around and who isn't."

Luis scoffed loudly. "Of course, because your judgement of character has been so spot on in the past. Gee, what could I have been thinking?" His voice rang with sarcasm.

Infuriated, Sheridan snatched her drink from the table. Luis saw it coming and yet he still didn't manage to duck in time. Next thing the man knew, he was sputtering and wiping wine out of his eyes. "Sheridan, damn it, would you just listen to-"

"I think I've heard enough. Come on, Jared, I'll drive you home." Sheridan snatched her purse up from the table and giving Luis a furious look, started for the door.

"Actually, I can drive-" Jared stopped at the murderous look Sheridan gave him. "Uh, never mind. Let's go."

"You are not going with-" Luis started forward but suddenly a strong arm grabbed him from behind.

"That's enough!" An accented voice bellowed, and Luis looked to see Kieran blocking his way. The Irish man didn't look angry but there was a determined set to his jaw that told Luis that he'd pushed him too far. "There will be no fighting, not in my club. You've had your say, now you need to let them go."

Sheridan's tone softened as she looked at her angry ex. "Luis, I appreciate that you're trying to protect me, I really do. But Jared is a good man, and you're just going to have to believe me on this one. We'll talk soon." Without another word, she turned on her heel and disappeared with Jared out the door.

Luis sighed heavily. "That went well." He grumbled.

"Yes, you might want to try a little more finesse next time. Women don't like to be manhandled, or told what to do." Kieran's voice grew serious. "Nor do they like having romantic interludes interrupted to watch their lovers rush to their ex-girlfriend's rescue-again."

"What?" Luis turned, and his throat suddenly constricted as he looked at the empty table where Fancy had been seated a moment before. "Oh no. Tell me I didn't. I blew it, didn't I?"

"Oh, you did, and your pretty bird has flown the coop. She did not look happy, either." Kieran's voice was gentle, but chiding. "I'm going to give you a bit of unsolicited advice, Luis, advice you've probably already heard a million times. You can't have both. You need to choose. And if you can't, leave them both alone, because what you're doing isn't right, for any of you."

Luis groaned softly as Kieran walked back behind the bar and began to take drink orders once more.

'He's right.' He thought to himself. 'I love Fancy, but I keep hurting her, because I have unresolved feelings for Sheridan. What the hell am I going to do?'

**The Lennox Residence  
**  
"What do you mean, Endora is going to to help you? She would never turn against her own mother!" Tabitha's voice was angry as she glared down at Charity.

"We'll see about that." Charity snapped. Turning, she walked over to the table where Endora sat, and kneeled down. "Endora, I know all about you. I've sensed you. You have such power, such strength of will, even at your young age. And even more, Endora, you have the desire to do good. I can help you fight against your dark side. It's meant to be that you and I work together-I've foreseen it. You will be a child of the light, just as I am. Join me, Endora, and I will save your soul."

Tabitha made gagging noises as Charity spoke. "Child of the light-what nonsense! You know nothing about my daughter! Your prophecies are nothing more than wishful thinking, that's what they are."

Charity ignored her. "Endora, you don't really want to hurt me, do you? You don't want to hurt anyone, but if you let this witch corrupt you, you will. You'll cause pain and chaos even to those you love. You've already hurt Fox, haven't you?" Her voice was reproachful, and Endora's lip trembled.

_'I didn't mean to.'_ The toddler thought as her eyes filled with tears.

"I know you didn't, Endora, but you don't know how to control your powers. You should be a radiant force for good, not a pawn of this vile creature who gave birth to you. It's time to choose, Endora. Stand with me, and I'll take you away from all this evil. I'll raise you myself, and I'll train you, and you can do so much good for the world. As for her-"

Charity stood up and pointed. "You will be imprisoned, Tabitha, for your crimes and misdeeds, until the Tribunal can decide what to do with you. I suppose there's a small chance, if you show the proper repentenance, that you can be rehabiliated, but I don't hold out much hope. You have done so much damage, caused so much pain...and worst of all, you've swayed a Standish woman to the side of darkness." Charity shook her head. "Poor Kay. Thank the forces of good that I am here to rescue her before she becomes irredeemable." She reached out and took Endora's tiny hands in her own. "Choose, Endora, choose now. Join with me."

Endora swallowed hard, looking at Charity, and then back at her mother. 'I choose...' she hesitated and Tabitha's eyes filled with tears that she didn't know she could share.

"Endora...don't. Don't turn against me." She whispered, staring at the child she'd borne.

_'I don't want to be evil, Mommy.'_ Endora telepathed, looking down.

A smile of utter triumph lit up Charity's features. "Then it's settled." Her eyes fixed on Tabitha and the glowing ball of light once again began to form in her hand. "And now, witch, prepare to meet your eternal-OWWWW!"

A pink lightning bolt had shot from Endora's miniature finger, zapping Charity right on the backside. She turned angrily to face the toddler, her hand pressed against her smoking trousers. "Endora, what are you doing?! You said you didn't want to be evil?"

_'I don't.'_ Endora smiled angelically. _'And the most evil thing of all, Charity, is to hurt those you love. You have a lot to learn.'_

"Oh, Endora!" Tabitha ran across the room and picked her small daughter up, hugging her tightly. "I should have had more trust in you, sweetpea. Thank you, my darling."

"Oh, you...!" Charity fumed. "Endora, I had such high hopes for you. So be it, then. The Tribunal will judge you both-may they have mercy on you...because I won't."

She raised her glowing hand, ready to strike, and Tabitha's gaze darkened as she raised her own hand, a glowing red ball forming on her palm, the opposite of Charity's sphere.

_'Don't worry, Mommy-I've got your back.'_ Endora chirped.

"Thank-" Tabitha started to say, but then the force of Charity's first strike blew her off her feet.

"Mommy!" Endora cried.

**At The Book Cafe  
**  
Rina stood frozen in the kitchen for a minute, looking at the lazy smile on Fox's face.

"Mr, Crane! Uh..."

"Your name is Rina, right?" He asked, ignoring her nervousness. At her nod, he continued. "I'd like it if you called me Fox. I was hoping we could talk."

Rina bit her lip, and before she could lose her nerve, she began to speak rapidly. "Look, Mr. Crane, I'm sorry about doing all those things to your breakfast order. I was just trying-well, I have seen you around before and you looked so sad. I thought maybe I could be helping to take your mind off of Kay-I mean...oh, no. I shouldn't have said that. I am so sorry!" She felt her face grow even more red. Was it possible for her to embarrass herself any further?

As she continued to stumble over apologies, Fox shook his head, still smiling. "Rina, could I get a word in here? Great. First of all, relax. I'm not upset with you. And I'm not mad that you mentioned Kay. It's not like I'm not thinking about her, you know? When I walk in a room, everyone goes quiet and pretends like it didn't happen. They don't bring her up like she never even existed, because I guess they think I've forgotten and they don't want to remind me. It doesn't help, believe me. All it does is make me feel worse. I'm glad at least someone is brave enough to mention it to my face."

"Oh." Rina paused. "I am glad I didn't offend you, Mr. Crane."

"You will if you keep calling me that. My name is Fox, remember?" He grinned at her. "And about the breakfast orders..."

"Oh no." Rina moaned softly. "I am so sorry. I know it was a very childish thing to do but-"

"And again with the apologies." Fox laughed. "Rina, that was the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a long time. If you wanted to cheer me up, you succeeded. That's why I came back here to find you. I wanted to say thank you."

"Oh." For a minute, Rina was struck speechless, still feeling the color bloom in her cheeks. "You're welcome, Mr-I mean, Fox." For a moment, she couldn't think of anything else to say, and so they both stood there in silence.

"You know, Rina, it occurs to me that you and I have never really had the chance to talk or get to know each other. I mean, I've seen you around and apparently you've seen me around, but I don't know anything about you, aside that you're from Jesenik and you live with Pilar. I'd like a chance to get acquainted with you...that is, if it's alright with you." Fox sent an entirely too charming smile her way and Rina felt herself blush even more. If she kept this up, her whole face was going to explode into flame.

"That would be nice." She smiled shyly, and felt herself relax a bit. "I don't know too many people in Harmony yet. The Lopez Fitzgeralds have been so kind to me, but usually I am at school or here and... Well, I don't mean to ramble on. I'm sure you have better things to do."

"Not really." Fox grinned once more at her. "I'd really like to hear about you. But I guess I should get going and let you get back to work. I'll give you a call sometime, OK?"

"Yes, OK." Rina nodded and watched as he exited. Once he had left the kitchen, she sighed and sank back into the wall. He had been so kind, and she felt so... She bit her lip in consternation. Why did she feel so fluttery and nervous, yet so happy? Did she have some kind of silly schoolgirl crush on Fox Crane?

'If you do, you are better to get over it.' She scolded herself. 'He is kind, yes, but he is a Crane. I could not be of any possible interest to him, and I will only get hurt if I imagine otherwise.' Steeling her resolve, she straightened up. She didn't have time for daydreams. He may have said that he would call, but he was only being nice. The only time she'd ever see him was when she was serving his food, and of course he would smile, and nod, and say something polite, but he would never see her as more than a poor, foreign waitress that deserved a little charity. No, she wouldn't think about him, or let herself feel anything except gratitude that he hadn't been angry with her. Crushes and puppy love and romantic fantasies-those were for other girls, girls that hadn't lived through the harsh realities that Rina had. So she wouldn't think of Fox anymore... Squaring her shoulders determinedly, she went to find Mike to tell him she was ready to get back to work.

**The Lennox Residence**

"Mommy!" Endora cried again, alarmed as her mother fell heavily to the floor. Charity ran forward, forming another magical weapon with her hand, but suddenly froze in place as Endora blasted her with a spell of her own. For a second Charity couldn't move at all, but then her eyes flickered furiously and her fingers began to wiggle. Endora climbed off the chair and ran over to her mother. To her relief, Tabitha was only stunned and dazed, and she sat up with a groan.

_'Mommy, you have to get up. Charity's strong-the binding spell won't hold her for long.'_ Endora's eyes were wide and worried.

Tabitha sighed and pulled herself heavily to her feet. "If only I had my full powers, I'd blast that miserable little brat through the wall, so I would."

_'I'll stop her, Mommy.'_ Endora's cherubic face was determined.

"No, sweetpea! You just stand back and let me handle this. You're right, she is strong. I can't take a chance of you getting hurt. If worse comes to worse and Charity gets the best of me, you get yourself out of here before she gets to you. You know where to hide. Kay will come and find you when it's safe."

Endora's rosebud mouth thinned into a tight line. _'I won't let that happen, Mommy. Charity's going down!'_ Her spell finger sparked.

"Is that so?" With a sudden blast, Charity broke through the binding spell. "I don't think so, Terror Tot. And when I get through with your mother, you're going to the corner!" Her hand began to glow again, but before she could strike, Tabitha hit her with a fireball of her own. For a moment Charity was lit up like a one woman inferno, then with a shriek of anger she shook off the flames, and stepped away from them, scorched and smellling of burnt hair, but otherwise unharmed. With a flick of her hands the flames died down as Tabitha and Endora looked on, open mouthed.

"You see? I am protected by forces much higher than you, demon witch! For I, Charity Standish, have the power of all that is good on my side. I am the protector of the faithful, the pure, the innocent-I am the defender of all that is righteous, and holy. I am a child of the light, and it is my destiny to strike you down and reclaim that poor child from your evil clutches! And once I have done so, the angels will sing and my teachers will proclaim a great victory! It is foreseen that-"

As she continued to rant, Tabby and Endora exchanged looks, rolling their eyes. _'Is that part of her power, Mommy? Boring people to death with long speeches?'_ Endora queried. _'Because If we're not going to fight for a while, I'm going to watch tv until she's done.'_

"Lovely idea, Endora. I think Harry Potter is on channel ten. I'll make popcorn." Tabitha stood up to go to the kitchen.

"Very funny." Charity snapped. "Oh Endora, how can you choose an alliance with this bringer of death and chaos? There is nothing she could offer you, nothing that is loving, or good or worthy in her!"

_'That's not true.' _Endora pursed her lips and gave Charity an annoyed look. _'She loves me.'_

"No, she doesn't! She's a witch-she can't possibly feel true love for anyone, no matter what she's told you." Charity's voice was pitying. "She's tricked you, poor naive child."

"That's not true!" Tabitha spat. "I love Endora with all my heart, small and black though it may be. Don't you dare say otherwise!"

_'Not only that.'_ Endora smiled. _'She loves Kay too...your very own cousin.'_

"That's not possible!" Charity stared at Tabitha. "You have used and manipulated my poor cousin to do your bidding. You couldn't possibly feel any true emotion for her-she's a Standish, part of the clan you've been trying to destroy for centuries."

"True." Tabitha shrugged. "I did think that Kay would be merely useful to me, nothing more, but I have to admit, I've grown very fond of her. I can't explain it myself, really. And you know, she'll be quite cross with you if anything happens to me or Endora."

"No, not after I explain to her how it's meant to be. You see, I haven't just come back to put an end to your foulness. I've come back to reclaim everything that I lost-like Miguel. Kay has her own part in my destiny, and when I explain it to her, she'll step aside and let Miguel come back to me, so that we can make love and unite, and I'll come into my full powers. And Kay will help me, Tabitha. She'll be at my side, because we're family and she'll assist Miguel and I as we travel the world, eradicating the forces of darkness wherever we go!"

At these words, Tabitha and Endora exchanged a long look, then both of them burst out laughing. "Oh dear, your memory is as short as your prophecies are bad, my dear." Tabitha chuckled. "You do remember Kay, don't you? Your cousin, the one who would gladly see you plummet off a cliff to your bloody death before she'd let you have a second more than you've already had with Miguel? She'll never help you, Charity, and she definitely won't step aside so you can take her man. How can you honestly believe that she'll be content to watch you and Miguel happy together, while she's relegated to being your magical servant? And you call my Endora the poor, naive child! Charity, you have created a fantasy world where everything is exactly how you want it, without a care for how any of the other players really feel. And you say we're evil...what's your excuse for your blatant selfishness?"

Charity's face reddened at Tabitha's words. "I won't listen to you, witch! You're trying to twist everything-I'm not selfish! Kay can't be with Miguel, because I was meant to be with him! You'll see...or perhaps you won't." Her eyes began to glow maliciously, and she prepared to strike. "Are you ready to taste your doom?"

"Bring it on, Charity. Bring it on."

TBC

**Thank you Emerald, for continuing to read and review - it's much appreciated!**

_In the next chapter,_

_Kay and Miguel come home - but what will they find when they get there?  
Fox asks Rina for a favor.  
Gwen decides that Sheridan and Luis aren't the only couple she wants to get together._


	6. Toil and Trouble

_**a/n Sorry, sorry, I meant to upload much sooner than this. Because I made y'all wait, here's two chapters for you. Thank you so much to Heather and Emerald0319 for reviewing - it makes my day.**_

**The Matchmakers**

**Chapter Six****: Toil and Trouble**

**Lennox Residence  
**  
Kay looked at Miguel's profile in the gloom of the car's interior as they pulled into the driveway.

"I had a good time, Miguel." She murmured softly, then winced as he shot her an irritated look.

"No, you didn't, Kay. You barely touched your dinner, you didn't want to talk, and you move away every time I try to touch you. What is going on? I thought you wanted to be with me! I know you're still upset about Fox finding us together and breaking things off with you, but it was for the best. Now we can be together without guilt, without sneaking around. I thought that's what you wanted. Was I wrong?"

"No, Miguel! I do want to be with you." Kay's eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "It's just that...I just feel so bad. Fox hates me. He won't talk to me, he won't even look at me. I ruined everything, and I hurt him so badly."

"So what, Kay?" Miguel's voice was growing impatient. "It's not like I feel good about it, but it happened, and being miserable over it won't change anything. It's been months. At some point, you're going to have to move on." He got out of the car, slamming the door.

Sighing, Kay climbed out after him. Miguel was standing in the driveway, his back towards her, tense, staring at the house. Walking over to him, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Miguel..." She started to say.

"Shhh!" Miguel looked at her, and Kay saw that all annoyance had fled, to be replaced with an apprehensive expression. "Kay, look!" He pointed at the house. "What the hell is going on in there?"

Kay looked in the direction he was pointing and her eyes widened in shock. The entire house was lit up with an unnatural glow and every few seconds a distant explosion would rock the structure as if mini earthquakes or explosions were going on inside, and the windows would light up with alternating white or red glows, and occasional sparks. Muffled shrieks and dull thuds could be distantly heard as well. It sounded like the old house was under siege! "Oh my God!" She mumbled against her hand, which had flown to cover her mouth. "I don't know! I just-" Her mind raced. What had Tabitha and Endora gotten themselves into now? And how could she keep Miguel from finding out about it?

Miguel's face was set in a determined mask. "Kay, you stay here. I'm going to check it out. Something really weird is going on here."

"No!" Kay cried. Miguel stared at her in surprise and she struggled to cover. "Look, you can't go in there alone. Besides, I have a feeling I may be better able to deal with whatever it is then you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Miguel stared at her in bewilderment.

"Um, just that Tabitha can be a bit...eccentric and hard to deal with. I can manage her. Why don't you go find my dad and see if he will help?" Kay crossed her fingers that he would listen to her. If Miguel walked into the house now, who knew what he would find? He could discover the truth about Tabitha, Endora...and her. There was no way she could let that happen!

Her hopes were dashed as Miguel gave her a disbelieving look. "No way. I'm going in there, right now. I just hope Tabitha and Endora are OK."

"Me too." Kay murmured reluctantly as she followed him up the walkway, the two of them moving slowly and cautiously as the noises grew louder and the lights continued to flash out the windows. Just as they reached the door, the loudest boom of all sounded, followed by a near blinding flash of red light, nearly rocking the ancient house off its hinges. Kay and Miguel both lost their balance in the shaking that followed, crashing to the ground.

"Kay! Are you alright?" Miguel helped her to her feet. "What the hell was that? Come on! I think something terrible has happened in there!"

"I don't know, Miguel, look...it's all stopped!" Kay held up her hand for silence and they both listened hard for a moment. Complete silence reigned. The shaking was gone, as were the flashes of light. They exchanged confused looks. It was almost as if it had never happened. They stared at each other worriedly for a moment, then Miguel reached for the door.

"Miguel, I'm scared." Kay grabbed his other hand, feeling sick to her stomach. All thoughts and worry about Miguel finding out her secret had fled. It was Tabitha and Endora that she was worried about now...suddenly, she couldn't shrug off the fear that something terrible had happened to them.

Kay held her breath as Miguel pushed open Tabitha's front door, her heart pounding as she imagined the possible carnage they could find inside. Miguel was right-from the looks of it something terrible had happened in the house tonight, and knowing what she knew about Tabitha's potential enemies, she was fearing the worst.

Miguel peered through the doorway, and then back at Kay. "The hallway is empty. Everything looks normal so far, but I'm going to check it out. I want you to go to your dad's and stay there until we know what's going on here. Thank God he's watching Maria tonight-I hate the idea that she might have been here with whatever's happened."

"No, Miguel, I need to know!" Kay's eyes sparkled with unshed tears. If anything had happened to Tabby and Endora...she hadn't realized until this moment how attached she really was to the witch and her daughter. Tabitha and Endora had taken her and Maria in and been her family for the past two years. They had supported her, and helped her and been there for her, and they had to be OK...they just had to be.

Slowly the two of them stepped in the darkened hallway, then stopped.

"Tabitha? Endora?" Kay called, her voice shaking. She and Miguel froze as sudden footsteps heading their way. They tensed, ready to fight or flee as a dark figure came through the doorway, then reached up to flick on the light. The glow illuminated her standing there...Tabitha, holding a smiling but sleepy looking Endora in her arms.

"Tabitha!" Kay cried. She ran forward and threw her arms around her. "Oh thank God you're OK...I was so worried!"

"God had nothing to do with it." Tabitha mumbled under her breath, then formed a bright smile as she saw Miguel eyeing her in surprise and speculation. "Of course we're fine, dear...why wouldn't we be?"

Kay stood back, her eyes searching Tabitha's face for answers she knew the other woman couldn't provide with Miguel standing there.

"But..but...the lights, and the noise...Tabitha, Kay and I saw what was happening when we came home. The whole house was shaking like there was an earthquake, and the lights...something was going on here, Tabitha. Something dire, and I want to know what it was." Miguel folded his arms and gave Tabitha a searching look as he and Kay followed her and Endora back into the living room. Tabitha set Endora down on the couch and then turned back to them with a wary look.

"Oh...the lights! You saw them, did you?" Tabitha shuffled her feet nervously. "Well, you caught me. Endora was a little restless, so I tried to...well, entertain her a bit, you know with an...er..." Kay watched as Tabitha struggled to come up with something plausible. "A laser light show-that's it!"

Miguel looked at her in disbelief. "A laser light show? Tabitha, how dumb do you think I am? For lights like that you'd need tons of equipment-there's nothing here and there was no time for you to put it away."

"Er..." Tabitha looked at her daughter. "Help me out here, Endora, would you?" She whispered.

Discreetly, Endora pointed a finger and with a tiny puff of smoke, black speaker boxers, strobe lights, and a control board appeared behind the unsuspecting Miguel.

"Look behind you, dear." Tabitha smiled sweetly.

Miguel turned and stumbled back, tripping over one of the lights, dropping to his knees and hitting his face on the corner of a nearby table. "What...how...that wasn't here a minute ago! I would have seen it! Kay, did you see all this stuff when we came in?" He pulled himself to a kneeling position, looking around in bewilderment.

"Um..." Kay scratched her head. She didn't want to lie, but Tabitha looked so desperate. "I did, actually. You were so worried about Tabitha and Endora that you must have been too distracted to see it."

Miguel stared at them as he got to his feet, wiping off a drop of blood where he'd hit his lip. "How could I not see it? You could outfit a Vegas show with this much equipment." He looked beyond confused. "But what about the explosions, and the shaking?"

Tabitha shrugged. "Sound effects. I suppose I had it on a little loud. At my age, my hearing's not the best."

"But..but..." Miguel stammered. Before he could continue, suddenly a thumping sound had them all turning their heads. "What was that?" Miguel demanded, whirling around. The sound was followed by a muffled shriek. "Oh my God!" He continued. "Is that someone screaming?"

Kay was as startled as he was but Tabitha gave her a desperate look, shaking her head, and then turned to Miguel with a polite, yet puzzled expression. "I didn't hear anything, Miguel. Are you feeling alright?"

Kay bit her lip then matched Tabitha's expression. "I didn't hear anything either, Miguel. You do seem awfully tense. Maybe you should sit down."

"No! I mean, I could have sworn...it sounded like it was coming from the hallway closet. Maybe I should go look." Miguel started out of the room.

Tabitha's eyes widened in panic and Kay reacted quickly, grabbing Miguel by the arm. "Miguel, stop. You're insulting Tabitha. I mean, she's already explained everything and now you want to search her closet? Don't you think that's a little rude, especially after all she's done for us?"

Miguel sighed, his face softening at Kay's earnest tone. "You're right. I'm sorry, Tabitha. I guess Kay and I just scared ourselves and let our imaginations run away with us. After all, it's not you're the type to have someone tied up and gagged in your closet or anything." He touched his bleeding lip ruefully. "I'd better go clean up. I'll be right back." He hurried out of the room and up the stairs.

"Tabitha!" Kay turned on her as soon as Miguel was out of earshot.

"What?" Tabitha did her best to look innocent, which was quite a stretch for her.

"Oh, don't give me that look. You know what! Miguel may not realize it, but you are totally the type to bind and gag someone and stick them in your closet! Who is it, Tabitha? What's going on here?" Kay put her hands on her hips.

"Believe me, dear, you don't want to know. But nevertheless, I shall explain everything to you when I have the chance. For now though, I need your help. You need to get Miguel out of here, right now. I have some unfinished business to take care of."

"What? How in the world am I going to do that?" Kay demanded.

"Do what?" Miguel asked, returning to the living room with his face washed and wearing a new shirt.

Tabitha thought quickly again. "Well, Miguel...actually I need a wee bit of a favor. I was wondering if you and Kay could help me out but I don't want to impose." She adopted a sorrowful tone and batted her eyes sweetly.

"Of course we'll help you, Tabitha. What is it?" Miguel queried.

"Wonderful!" Tabitha brightened. "I need some...steak, yes, that's it. Immediately."

"Steak?" Miguel looked confused. "Now? I don't even know if there's any place open."

"Oh, there is. A butcher's shop over on Fifth and Primrose, but they will be closing soon, so I need you to go right now." Tabitha smiled ingeniously.

"Um...ok." Miguel gave Tabitha a look that said he clearly felt she was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. "Well, no need for Kay to go out in the cold again. I'll be right back."

"No, no, Kay must go with you. You'll need her help. You see, I need quite a lot of steak, about a hundred pounds of it. It's...very important. Just tell the butcher to put it on my account." Tabitha's smile widened and she crossed her fingers, knowing she sounded quite insane but hoping Miguel would be thick enough to just write it off as one of her eccentricities.

Miguel stared at her, open-mouthed. "You need a hundred pounds of steak? At ten o'clock at night?"

Kay gently stepped on his foot. "Sweetheart, she's a little odd, remember? Let's just humor her." Kay took his hand. Miguel shot Tabitha one more puzzled look, then let Kay lead him out of the house.

"Kay, I think we should seriously consider getting our own place." He whispered to her as they left.

Tabitha breathed a heavy sigh of relief once she heard the front door close behind them. "That was too close, Endora. We have to get rid of Charity immediately! Would you bring her back in here, please?"

Endora's spell finger sparked and a moment later Charity appeared on a chair in the living room, a gag in her mouth and her hands tied together, as well as her feet. Her eyes glared angrily at them as she attempted to shriek through her gag.

"Oh, hush, Charity. You lost fair and square, no need to be cross about it." Tabitha rapped her on the head and then smiled as Charity's shrieks grew even angrier.

"Now what shall we do with this do gooding brat, Endora?" Tabitha walked in a slow circle around the furiously rocking Charity. "Should we throw her to our friends in the basement?" Her smile became cruel and Endora frowned.

'Mommy, don't make me an accessory to murder before I even start kindergarten.' Endora looked at her mother reproachfully.

"Oh, they won't kill her...at first." Tabitha grinned, then sighed as Endora gave her a scolding look. "Fine, no friends in the basement. We'll find something more fitting for her." She continued to pace. "I know...we'll burn her at the stake!"

"Mommy!" Endora spoke aloud this time.

"Oh, come on, it would be so much fun, and quite fitting, considering her ancestors did the same to me. Please, Endora? Pretty please? Think of it, a nice, warm bonfire right in our living room. I'll let you roast marshmallows!" Tabitha pleaded hopefully, but Endora folded her arms, looking grim. Tabitha sighed. "Spoilsport. Alright then, but we have to get rid of her, and fast. She can't stay in Harmony. Imagine the havoc she would wreak, not only on us but on Kay. You heard her plans. If she has her way we'll be in a mystical prison and Kay will be sweeping her floors and stirring her magical cauldron."

'Maybe we can send her back to where she came from.' Endora thought.

"Right back to that annoying Order of the Light, so they can put their self righteous heads together and figure out how to come up with another way to strike out at us? I don't think so." Tabitha stopped and shook her head as she thought. Then a slow smile spread across her face. "Let's send her to Antartica. I'm sure she'll find a lovely iceberg to call home."

Endora shook her head again and for a moment Tabitha was at a loss. "I know! We'll send her to one of those irritatingly holier than thou missionaries groups in some poverty stricken Third World country. Think of it, Endora...no phone, no computer, no way to get home, just Charity, a flock of nuns, and a mass of starving orphans. Could it be more perfect?"

'I don't know.' Endora thought for a moment.

"Oh, Endora, she'd love it. What a huge opportunity to spread love and happiness and be completely selfless! This is Charity we're talking about-she'll be happier than Rebecca Hotchkiss in a men's locker room. Won't you, Charity?"

The sounds of Charity's muffled cries said otherwise but Tabitha happily ignored her. "What do you say, dear? Shall we wrap her up and send her, first class on the Witch Express?"

Endora looked at Charity for a moment, then smiled. 'Your wish is my command.' She pointed her finger and the binds flew off of Charity's wrists and feet and the gag popped out of her mouth. Charity had just enough time to cry out, "No, Endora!" before she found herself wrapped up in a new kind of packaging as bubble wrap wound its way around her legs, up her waist and bound her arms firmly against her side. Only her neck and head was left free, and Charity watched in horror as plain brown paper covered up the plastic, wrapping her even tighter. She opened her mouth to scream but a mailing label floated out of mid air and affixed itself directly over her mouth, the address label reading 'Express Delivery-Tanzania'.

The doorbell rang and Tabitha hurried to answer it, beaming from ear to ear. A long-haired middle aged man stood there, clad in a cloak with a badge reading 'Witch Express.' He consulted a clipboard. "You have a package to be delivered?" he inquired a bored sounding voice.

"Right this way." Tabitha gestured him inside, and led him to the living room, pointing at the struggling Charity.

"Hmmm." The bemused warlock looked the girl up and down. "It's an additional charge if you want us to punch airholes in her crate."

"Oh, no need!" Tabitha said merrily, but a glare from Endora made her swallow the words. "Fine, just charge it to my regular account."

"Sign here." The delivery man handed her the clipboard and snapping his fingers, manifested a trolley out of thin air. He hoisted the still struggling Charity on to it and took the clipboard back. Tabitha gave him several bills, which he pocketed with a smile. "Thanks for the tip." A moment later he was wheeling Charity out the door, as Tabitha followed behind, watching with a satisfied expression as he stepped off the porch with his package and then they both disappeared into nothingness.

"That's that, my dear." Tabitha felt extremely pleased with them both. "We won't be seeing her again. No, no...if anyone in Harmony ever hears from Charity again, it will be a miracle indeed..." She paused and looked at Endora. "I do still have one more problem, however."

Endora looked at her inquiringly. 'What's that, Mommy?'

Tabitha sighed. "What on earth am I going to do with one hundred pounds of steak?"

**TBC**

_**Coming Soon:**_

_**Gwen and Ivy exchange words  
Ivy is infuriated to see Sam and Pilar together  
Theresa encourages Fancy not to give up on Luis  
**_


	7. Scheme A Little Scheme

_**This is the second of two chapters uploaded today so be sure to read them both. :)**_

**The Matchmakers**

**Chapter Seven: Scheme A Little Scheme...**

**The Book Cafe  
**  
"Good morning, Sam!" Pilar smiled brightly as she leaned over to fill his coffee cup. "Just let me get our food, and I'll be right back."

"I'll be right here waiting." Sam smiled at her and Pilar felt herself melt a little inside, then scolded herself furiously as she headed towards the kitchen. They were friends-good friends, but that's all it was, and all it could ever be with that witch Ivy in the picture. She sighed to herself as she went to pick up their plates. She was lonely-there was no denying that to herself now. She should get out, perhaps join the singles group at her church, just have some fun and maybe start dating again. She'd wasted so many years waiting on Martin and she wanted to fall in love again, to feel the excitement of the first date and the giddiness of a first kiss once more. Was it too late for her? Was she destined to spend the rest of her life alone?

Pushing the disturbing thought away, she returned to Sam's booth with the plates and slid in next to him, smiling. "Here you go, just the way you like it. I even added extra sausage."

"You know me so well." Sam said warmly. For a minute their eyes locked together and held and then Pilar flushed slightly, and quickly changed the subject. The smile didn't leave her face though, nor did the twinkle leave Sam's eyes.

**xXx**

"C'mon, Ivy, do I have to?" Jessica groaned as Ivy prodded her up the steps of the Book Cafe.

"Jessica, this was your plan, remember? You can't get Rina to open up to you unless you spend some time with her. Oh, and would you look at that?" Ivy peered through the glass door. "Paloma and Simone are in there as well. Go make nice with your friends."

"Some friends." Jessica grumbled as she watched Rina walk over to Paloma and Simone's table and begin laughing with them. "Two faced traitors is more like it, and look how chummy they are with Rina. Didn't take them too long to replace me, I see."

"Fine, Jessica. Why don't you just go home and pout, because that always does you so much good." Ivy folded her arms and gave Jessica a glacial stare. "I don't even know why I bother trying to help you."

"OK, OK!" Jessica exhaled noisily, then pasted a large, fake smile on her face. "Here we go." She headed into the cafe, still smiling. Ivy watched her, pleased, as she saw her make a beeline for Rina, Simone, and Paloma.

**xXx**

Gwen exited her car, checking her watch. Still running early-she had plenty of time for a quick bite at the cafe before she headed into the office. Besides, she needed some time to sit and think. Sheridan had called her the night before with the very interesting information that Luis has nearly blown a gasket when he'd seen her with Jared the night before. This opened up a whole new realm of possibilities that she needed time to think over. Getting Sheridan back together with Luis was rapidly becoming a priority for her. Sheridan had had such a hard time for so long. She deserved to finally have the man she loved, the man who clearly loved her in return, and Gwen was determined to make that happen. There was no way that Theresa was winning the bet they'd made, not a snowball's chance in hell.

Gwen started to cross the street towards the cafe but her attention was caught by Ivy and Jessica, deep in conversation in front of the door.

'Those two have been awfully chummy lately, especially considering a few months ago Jessica hated her.' She thought to herself. 'And look at the way they're whispering and looking through the door. They're up to something-I'd bet vital body parts on it.' She watched the two speculatively for a moment. She had a gut feeling that whatever Jessica and Ivy were planning, it had something to do with her and Kieran. She didn't buy for a second the lame secondhand apology that Jessica had made through Ethan.

'Well, whatever it is, I'm not just going to sit back and wait for it to happen.' She saw Jessica go inside, and Ivy wait for a discreet moment before following her. 'No, the best defense is always a good offense.' She smiled at the thought. 'Perhaps it's time for my ex mother in law and I to have a little chat.'

**xXx**

Ivy smoothed her hair gingerly and smiled coolly at Laura as the waitress tried to hand her a menu. As if she'd actually eat at this little pedestrian dive. "No, thank you. Just coffee for me. I believe my fiance' is here. I wanted to surprise him." She raised an eyebrow until Lauren realized that this meant Ivy expected her to show her to Chief Bennett's booth.

"Oh, yes, I think he's still here-let me-" Laura began but they were interrupted by a call from the kitchen.

"Laura! Order's up!"

"Just one moment-I'll be right back." Laura flashed her an apologetic smile and then hurried away. Ivy gritted her teeth. Didn't that no name waitress realize who she was? Was not the former Mrs. Crane a little more important then some common old lady who wanted her oatmeal? Impatiently, she looked around. She'd just find Sam herself, then. Her gaze swept the room then froze as she saw him. He wasn't absorbed in a newspaper or chatting with one of his cop buddies like she'd imagined.

Instead, he and Pilar Lopez Fitzgerald, her old housekeeper, of all people, were crammed into a booth together, their heads nearly touching as they talked and laughed. Ivy's lips tightened as she watched them. They were sitting on the same side of the booth, when the other side was empty and Pilar could have surely sat across from him. She couldn't help but notice how they only had eyes for each other, how easily Sam smiled as Pilar spoke, how playful the usually serious woman seemed. Ivy didn't like what she was seeing, not in the least. This couldn't be happening! Did her mousy ex-servant have designs on her man? As her temper rose, a merry voice behind her made her tense up even more.

"Good morning, Ivy." Gwen's voice was sweet-too sweet. Her eyes brightened as she noted Ivy's irritated expression. "What are you staring at with such fascination?" She looked in the direction she'd seen Ivy staring. "Oh my, would you look at that? It's Sam and Pilar, having breakfast together. You know, I hear they've been making a routine of that lately. It's rather sweet." She paused for a moment, then spoke again. "If I didn't know better, I'd think they were a couple."

"Luckily, you do know better, and you know how ridiculous that would be." Ivy spoke through gritted teeth.

"Why?" Gwen raised her eyebrows innocently. "Actually, Pilar and Sam have so much in common, and they are from similar backgrounds. Really, the odd couple is the socialite and the police chief, I'd say."

Ivy's face reddened. "As usual, you don't know what you're talking about. Excuse me." She started to make her way over to the booth, but Gwen stepped in front of her.

"Not so fast, Ivy. I saw you and Jessica outside. The two of you have been thick as thieves lately. It's really touching, how you're suddenly bonding with your stepdaughter the way you are." Gwen's voice grew a bit colder as she looked down her nose at Ivy.

"So what? I'm marrying her father. It's important that we get along." Ivy snapped.

"Right. Well, personally, I don't buy it. I think you're up to something. And if that something has anything to do with Jessica's little delusion that she's in love with my husband, I will find out, and you'll pay for helping her interfere in my marriage. Are we clear on this?"

"You're delusional." Ivy spat. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, of course not, Ivy." Gwen matched her non-chalant tone. "Just something for you to keep in mind. Oh, look at that." She smiled in Sam and Pilar's direction. "They're having a little food fight. Isn't that cute? You know, some things...they're just meant to be, no matter how hard you fight against them."

At that moment Laura returned. "Are you still waiting for Chief Bennet, Ms. Winthrop?" Her tone of voice indicated bewilderment at Ivy's lack of ability to walk across the small cafe by herself.

"No." Ivy snapped. "I found him, no thanks to you." She marched away indignantly.

Lauren looked slightly hurt for a moment. "I didn't mean to upset her."

Gwen shrugged, still smiling. "Don't take it personally. Her grapes are just a little sour, is all."

"Huh?" Laura looked at her, bewildered.

"Never mind." Gwen shook her head and smiled.

Laura handed her a menu and showed her to a small table, and Gwen took her seat, still smiling. For a moment she watched Sam and Pilar, still deep in conversation until Ivy stalked over, barely able to disguise her grimace. For a moment, Pilar couldn't hide her disappointment at the interruption, then she smiled brightly and stood up to give the two some privacy. Gwen watched her, her brow furrowed in sympathy.

'Maybe Sheridan and Luis aren't the only couple I should be trying to get together.' She mused to herself as she looked over the menu. 'Pilar's been very good to me over the years, and she deserves a little happiness for once. Plus, if Theresa's not going to step up to the plate for her mother, someone has to. And I'd be doing Sam a huge favor, saving him from that coldhearted woman's clutches. Besides...' Her smile widened. 'Hmmm...I'm starting to think I like doing good deeds. Especially when they come with the bonus of making my dear ex mother in law completely miserable.'

Across the room, Ivy saw Gwen's wide grin out of the corner of her eye and felt a prick of apprehension. What was that schemer up to now? And why did she suddenly have such a feeling of doom?

**xXx**

"I'm really not hungry, Theresa." Fancy groaned as Theresa nearly pushed her inside the front door of the Book Cafe.

"Fancy, you need to eat. If you get any skinnier you'll fade away into nothingness. You can't starve yourself to death over my bullheaded brother." Theresa's voice was firm.

"You know, you two are a lot alike. Bossy, controlling, think you always know best..." Fancy mumbled.

"And you love us anyway." Theresa smiled as Laura hurried over to seat them.

"I'll think I'll just have the fruit bowl." Fancy was telling Laura a moment later as the waitress took her order.

"And she wants an omelet too. With cheese." Theresa chirped brightly. "I'll have the special with scrambled eggs, please."

Fancy rolled her eyes as Laura walked away. "Thank you, Mother." She said mockingly.

"Insults will get you nowhere, Fancy. You're just trying to distract me from what I have to say. You're acting like a wimp, and you know it. I'm sorry Luis pulled a stupid hero move in the middle of your reconciliation chat last night. But that's just him, and you know it's one of the things you love about him, how protective he is of those he cares about. He's concerned about Sheridan, but that's it. He's always going to care about her, Fancy. She was his first love. But you are the one in his heart now. Are you really going to throw that away out of jealousy?" Theresa looked across the table at Fancy.

Fancy sighed. "It's not just jealousy, Theresa. Now that Sheridan is free..." She stared at the tabletop. "I just don't think Luis is over her. He keeps choosing her over me, and how can I live like that? It's happened over and over. I'm started to understand how Gwen felt when she was married to Ethan. It really hurts."

Theresa scoffed. "OK, your relationship with Luis is NOTHING like Gwen and Ethan's marriage! I wouldn't lie to you about that. Luis is in love with you, and I know that in my heart. I've seen the way he looks at you. Maybe he's a little confused, and let's face it. Sheridan has been playing with his head for years, whether she realizes it or not. Now that she's free, she probably regrets ever letting him go. She's going to try to get him back, and if you don't speak up and let him know how you feel, that you still want to be with him, she'll probably get him."

"Oh, thanks!" Fancy sat back with a hurt expression. "I thought you just said he loves me, not her."

"He does, Fancy. But if he thinks you've given up, Sheridan could worm her way back into his heart. He's lonely and vulnerable right now. I want you to answer me honestly. Are you ready to lose Luis forever? Or are you going to fight?"

**xXx**

"I'm surprised to see you here, Ivy." Sam took a sip out of his coffee cup. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Lost my appetite." Ivy snapped curtly.

"What's wrong?" Sam raised his eyebrows. "Have I done something to upset you?"

"Sam, how can you even ask? I walk in here to surprise you and have a nice breakfast together and what do I find? You and Pilar, practically glued together. She was nearly in your lap! And then I hear that not only were you with her today, but apparently you two make a regular date of this every morning. Is there something you want to tell me?" Ivy asked, her voice angry.

"Ivy, I don't have a clue what you're talking about." Sam's voice was angry now as well. "Pilar and I are friends, good friends, and yes, I do stop in here to have breakfast with her. Do you have a problem with that?"

Ivy opened her mouth to say yes but snapped it back shut at the look on Sam's face. He wasn't just annoyed-he looked furious with her. The feeling of doom she'd had earlier magnified. Why was he getting so upset over Pilar? She was playing this all wrong, backing him into a corner, making him defensive, when she should be showing him her good side and making him forget all about that nobody.

"Sam, I'm sorry." She allowed her voice to soften. "It's just...well, I know Pilar is lonely and you're a very attractive man. I wouldn't put it past her to make a move on you, and I'm a bit jealous, I suppose. Silly of me, I know. You would never be unfaithful to me. I promise not to lose my temper like that again."

To her surprise, Sam didn't tell her it was alright, or kiss her, or even let his face soften the way hers had. He leaned forward, his eyes shooting angry sparks. "Pilar isn't like that, Ivy, and I don't appreciate you insinuating that she is. You know, I'm starting to feel like there's a lot of things about me you're not happy with. First you try to get me to quit my job to become an executive at Crane, something you must know I'd never do, and now you want to tell me who I can and cannot be friends with. Loosen the leash, Ivy. You know who I am. You knew who I was when we got back together. I'm a blue collar guy, with a blue collar job, and regular, every day people as friends. Like Pilar. And if you can't deal with that, why the do you want to marry me? I suggest you think about that, because I'm not going to change." Standing up, he threw some money on the table.

"Sam, wait, please...you misunderstood!" Ivy stood up, her voice strained. This conversation had spiraled completely out of control. Never had she expected that Sam would get so upset with her. What was happening here?

"I didn't misunderstand, Ivy. I just-we'll talk about this later. I have to get to work." Without a backwards glance, Sam stormed out the door, leaving an open mouthed and very upset Ivy staring after him.

**xXx**

As Fox pushed open the front door of the Book Cafe, he nearly missed smacking it into a figure on the other side. "Oh no, I'm sorry-Mother! What are you doing here?"

Ivy looked at her youngest son with teary eyes. "Oh, Fox, it's you." She sniffed audibly.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Fox took her by the arm and pulled her back inside. "Come sit down with me and tell me about it."

"Fox..I...look, it's nothing. Nothing I want to talk about, anyway. Actually though, I do need to speak to you." Ivy straighted up and adopted her usual crisp tone.

"What about?" Fox looked confused.

"The dinner party in two days with the Montgomerys', remember? You've been trying to woo Chase Montgomery and Montgomery Industrial into a partnership with Crane for months! He and his wife are flying in from Houston and you asked me to make this special. I've put a lot of work into it. I just wanted to make sure that you remembered, first of all, and secondly, that you have a suitable date."

"A date?" Fox groaned. "Why do I need a date?"

"Fox, Chase is bringing his wife and the other Crane executives we've invited will have their spouses as well. You don't want to be the odd man out, plus this is the time to make an impression. I understand that Chase Montgomery is very casual and friendly. He won't want to feel like this is a business meeting." Ivy sighed. "That's alright, Fox, don't worry about it. I somewhat suspected that you would let that little detail slip, with all you've been through lately. Don't worry about it. I can get a very nice date for you, someone respectable. Perhaps even someone that you might consider for more than a date to a dinner party." Ivy's eyes brightened.

Fox rolled his eyes. "Respectable, Mother? I know what you mean by that. Someone rich, uptight, snobbish, and dead boring. One of those perfect society princesses you're always shoving at me. Thanks, but no thanks. I'll find my own date."

"Fox, you're impossible! Who do you think you're going to find at the last minute that will be suitable?" Ivy's voice rose impatiently.

At that moment, Rina walked out of the kitchen, bearing a tray. Not noticing Fox or Ivy, she walked over to a corner table with a smile, putting down the tray and chatting casually with the elderly couple she was serving.

Fox's eyes lit up as he watched her. "Oh, I have someone in mind, Mother. Someone perfect...just perfect."

**TBC  
Coming Soon  
**  
_**Whitney struggles with her feelings for Chad.  
Gwen and Theresa plot separately-and together.  
Jessica manipulates Rina for information.  
**_


	8. Dreams and Plans

**The Matchmakers**

**Chapter Eight: Dreams and Plans**

**The Book Cafe**

Fancy closed her eyes for a moment as she thought about Theresa's words. Then she opened them, looking straight into her friend's eyes. "I love Luis. I want to be with him. If he really can put me first and let any remains of his love for Sheridan go, then we can be together. I want that so badly. You're right, Theresa. I'm not quite convinced that he can do that, but I'm not going to give up trying."

Theresa smiled. "That's what I want to hear. We've got a lot of planning to do. Luis needs to realize that he's been taking you for granted, and that he could lose you if things don't change. We're going to make sure that he comes to see that sooner rather than later."

"So what do you have in mind?" Fancy asked curiously.

Theresa hesitated as she saw her mother exit the kitchen and start sorting receipts at the register. "Hold that thought, Fancy. I want to go say hello to Mama. I'll be right back and we'll map out our strategy."

Theresa walked quietly behind her mother and tapped her on the shoulder. Pilar turned with a shadow of her usual smile. "Oh, hello, Theresa. How are you this morning?" Her voice sounded sad, lacking its usual warmth.

"Well, I'm fine, Mama, but now I'm starting to wonder about you. What's wrong?" Theresa looked at her mother with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing, Theresa, I'm just fine. It's sweet of you to ask though." Pilar looked distracted. "I'm sorry, I wish I had time to catch up but we're in the middle of our breakfast rush here. Why don't I give you a call tonight?"

"Sure." Theresa scratched her head as her mother walked away without a backwards glance. 'That was odd. I wonder if she's upset with me about something.'

She turned to walk back to Fancy but her progress was waylaid by Gwen, who had appeared from seemingly nowhere, grabbing Theresa's elbow and steering her to a corner.

"Theresa, we need to talk."

"What?" Theresa yanked her elbow out of Gwen's grip. "A little pushy, aren't we? I don't want to talk to you. Having an in depth conversation with you right before a meal always puts me off my food."

"Oh, you're so mature, Theresa. Stuff it for a minute. I want to talk to you about Pilar." Gwen's voice was impatient.

"What about Mama?" Theresa frowned. "She seemed upset just now. Do you know what's bothering her?"

"Yes, actually, I do, and if you ever paid attention to anyone besides yourself you'd know too. It's Sam." Gwen put her hands on her hips. "Don't you remember your wedding, when I pointed out that your mother has feelings for him?"

"Yes." Theresa said slowly. "But she's never said anything about it."

"Well, of course she wouldn't. He's with Ivy, and Pilar's too honorable to interfere with that. She does though, and I think he's starting to care for her too. You know, they've been having breakfast together here each day. I got an eyeful this morning and there was definitely some sparkage." Gwen smiled at the memory.

"Hmmm." Theresa said. "But then, why is she upset?"

"Why else? Poison Ivy, of course. She got an eyeful too, and the Ice Queen wasn't pleased. Poor Pilar got run off, and from the looks of it, Ivy was giving Sam an earful of what she thinks of him and Pilar getting chummy."

Theresa's eyes narrowed. "Do you think Ivy was insulting my mother?"

"Do birds fly? Of course she was!" Gwen folded her arms.

Theresa let out a sigh. "Well, this is very interesting but what was so urgent that you needed to talk to me about? I need to get back to Fancy."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Why, so you can waste your time trying to pull some pathetic stunts with Luis? Give up now, Theresa. Sheridan and Luis are going to be together. You're just going to put Fancy through a lot of unneccessary strife. I suggest you save your matchmaking skills for a relationship that might actually work, and that is Sam and Pilar."

Theresa bit her lip. "I don't know, Gwen. I just think Mama would have a fit if she knew I was trying to manipulate things for her."

Gwen snorted. "When did you become such a wimp, Theresa? Don't you want your mother to be happy? And your father in law, for that matter?"

"Since when do you care, Gwen?" Theresa's voice was puzzled. "What's in this for you?"

"Excuse me, but who said this was about me? I happen to care about Pilar. She's always been very kind to me, and she's so wonderful with Sarah. She doesn't treat her as any less important then EJ or Jane, even though Sarah is not related to her by blood, and I appreciate that. In a way, we're family, and I want to do something nice for her."

"Uh huh." Theresa looked at Gwen skeptically for a moment, then shrugged. A year ago, she wouldn't have believed a word out of her former rival's mouth, but Gwen had astounded her more than once this past year. If she could put months worth of effort into getting Theresa back together with Ethan, she was more than capable of genuinely wanting to help Pilar.

"Alright, Gwen. Look, I have to get back to Fancy, but I think you might have a point. If you have a plan, I want in. We'll talk soon." Theresa's expression was decided.

"It's about time you came around. I'll call you." Gwen shrugged on the jacket she'd had draped over her arm and with a final nod at Theresa, headed out the door.

'I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.' She smiled to herself as she got in the car. 'Not only will Theresa and I be doing the right thing by getting Pilar together with Sam, but I almost forgot that she has as much reason to be wary of Ivy as I do. If that witch really is planning something, Theresa may just be the person I need to help take her down once and for all.'

**xXx**

"Who are you talking about?" Ivy asked Fox. "Who is it that you want to take to the dinner party?"

Fox said nothing, but a smile stayed on his lips as he watched Rina chat with the elderly couple. Ivy followed his gaze and then her mouth opened in surprise.

"Rina? Fox, what are you thinking?"

"Mother, what do you mean? Rina is a sweetheart, and kind, and polite-she'll be an excellent date. I'm sure she'll make a good impression." Fox looked at his mother, struggling to maintain his temper.

"Fox, Rina is a waitress-hardly a suitable date for a Crane! She's a lovely young woman, I'll give you that, but she is not in your social class. Now a few years ago I would have said take her out of the gutter for the night and show her a good time, but I did that with Ethan and a certain golddigger and I've regretted it ever since. Rina doesn't need to get ideas about getting her hooks into a Crane. That sweet disposition of hers will disappear in a heartbeat, and we'll be stuck with another scheming social climber before we know it." Ivy's voice was acidic.

Fox looked at his mother in disbelief. For a moment he didn't trust himself to speak, he was so angry. Finally he manged to get out the words without yelling them. "Mother, I can't believe you. First of all, Theresa is now a member of our family. Not only that, but she's my friend, and I've had my fill of you insulting her every chance you get. If you don't learn to accept her, Ethan will cut you out of his life, and you'll miss out on seeing your grandchildren grow up. As for Rina, that girl has never done a thing to warrant what you just said about her. I can't get over what an unbelievable snob you can be. If she accepts my invitation, I'm taking her to the dinner party, and you can keep your unwanted opinion about it to yourself, or Ethan won't be the only son turning his back on you."

Ivy's mouth fell open at her son's cold words. What a day she was having! First Gwen, then Sam, and now Fox and it wasn't even ten in the morning yet. She might as well go home and put a cold rag on her head because it seemed like every single person in town had something unpleasant to say to her. Her children-they were just too stubborn for their own words. Couldn't they see that she just wanted the best for them? They all seemed to think that because she'd fallen in love with Sam that it was OK for them all to follow suit-to rush over to the wrong side of the tracks and carry home some low class trash that would just wreck their lives. Sam was different. She'd fallen in love with him, and she'd seen so much potential for him. He wasn't meant to be an underpaid, overworked police chief. His place was in high society, by her side. He might not accept that at the moment, but once they were married, he would. And Fox belonged there too, as was his birthright, with a wife who would raise his position even higher, not some dirt poor foreign girl who waited tables and washed dirty dishes for a living. Still, it wouldn't do to alienate him at this point. Ivy was smart enough to know when to retreat. Forcing a smile, she turned back to her son.

"I'm sorry, Fox, I'm just having a terrible day. I didn't mean what I said. Taking Rina is a lovely idea. Why don't you go over and ask her?" She gritted her teeth at the thought, but for one night, it wouldn't be so terrible, she supposed.

Looking mollifed, Fox's expression lightened, and he looked back at Rina with a smile. "Not just yet. I want to do this just right." He turned toward the door. "Rina did something for me. She made me feel special. I'm going to return the favor." He nodded towards the door, and Ivy allowed him to escort her outside, wondering what in the world her youngest son was planning.

**xXx**

A few minutes after Fox and Ivy had left, Kay Bennett strolled inside, having no idea how close she had been to an awkward face to face encounter with her ex, something they'd both been avoiding for months.

"Hello, Kay!" Pilar was back at her post, greeting customers, and she shot her son's girlfriend a bright smile. "How are you doing?"

"I'm great!" Kay smiled. "I actually came in to give you this." She handed Pilar a small, brightly colored card. "It's an invitation. Tabitha and I are having a barbecue at the house tomorrow at twelve. I'd love to see you there and I know Miguel and Maria would too."

"Oh, thank you, Kay. I'll have to make sure someone can take over for me for a few hours, but I will do my best to make it." Pilar pocketed the card. "That's very kind of Tabitha. I really never thought of her as the hostess type. Before you moved in with her, she was so reclusive. What inspired her to do this?"

Kay grinned. "A hundred pounds of steak that had nowhere to go."

"What?" Pilar looked bewildered and Kay shook her head, chuckling. "Nothing. Anyway, try to come. Oh, look, there's Theresa and Fancy. I want to invite them too. I'll see you later, OK?"

Weaving her way through the crowded tables, Kay started to make her way over to Theresa and Fancy, who were deep in conversation, barely touching their food. Before she did though, she saw her sister Jessica sitting at a nearby table with Paloma and Simone. Smiling, she walked over to them.

"Hey, you guys! What's up?" She asked.

Simone returned her smile. "Just having breakfast. Jessica showed up and it was really a nice surprise." She turned to Jessica. "I mean it, Jess. We missed you."

"Thanks." Jessica smiled. "I missed you guys too."

"So what's up with you, and why do you have a stack of envelopes in your hand?" Paloma asked, gesturing.

"Actually, these are invitations." Kay extracted three from the stack. "One for each of you. Tabitha and I are having a barbecue tomorrow afternoon. Can you all come?"

"Sure!" The three of them chorused. Then Paloma leaned forward. "Kay, do you know the girl who's living with Pilar now? The one who came back from Jesenik with Ethan? She's right over there-Rina."

Kay looked. "I've seen her around but we've never really talked. Why?"

"Well, she hasn't really gotten a chance to get to know many people yet, and it must be lonely for her to be in a strange country with no family. So maybe you-"

Kay held up a hand. "No need to say more, Paloma. Of course I'm going to invite her. I've got her invitation right here." She tapped the stack. "I'll go ask her now. But hey, I might not get to everyone personally, since this was kind of a last minute idea. So if you three could spread the word, that would be great. It's going to be a lot of fun." After a few more pleasantries, Kay moved away.

"Oh, excuse me!" Rina nearly bumped into Kay as the other woman stepped into her path.

"Oh, that was my fault, and not an accident. I actually wanted to talk to you." Kay quickly explained about the barbecue, and handed her the invitation. For a moment Rina looked surprised and then a happy smile broke out on her face.

"Thank you, Kay. It sounds like it will be very much fun. I would love to go." She smiled sweetly.

"Great, see you there then." Kay gave her a quick wave. Yes, Rina seemed nice enough. Might be interesting to get to know her a bit better. Moving on, she finally reached Theresa and Fancy's table.

"Kay, hi! Have a seat. What's up?" Theresa looked away from Fancy, smiling at the woman she suspected would one day be her sister in law. "

"Hello, Kay." Fancy forced herself to smile, trying her best to be polite. Kay wasn't very high on her list of favorite people at the moment, being the cause of Fox's shattered heart. Still, last thing she was interested in right now was a public catfight.

The fading smile on Kay's face testified to the fact that she felt just as awkward as she slid in next to Theresa. "I can only stay a minute. Lots of errands to run today. I just wanted to let you both know that Tabitha and I are having a barbecue tomorrow afternoon. Family friendly, so Theresa, you and Ethan bring the kids. Can you both make it?"

"Oh, I don't know-" Fancy started to say but underneath the table Theresa's foot pressed down on top of hers.

"Of course we'll be there, Kay. That sounds like a lot of fun. Um...have you invited Luis, by chance?" Theresa asked sweetly.

"Oh, he's definitely on the list. Dad said he'd ask him for me today at the station." Kay confirmed.

"Great." Theresa beamed. A moment later Kay had said her goodbyes and headed out the door. Theresa turned to Fancy, her eyes sparkling. "Did you hear that? This is perfect. I'm going to make sure that Luis shows up at that barbecue so you'd better be there. Let the games begin."

**TBC**

_**Coming Soon**_

_**Much more sinister plans are being hatched in Harmony**_

_**Theresa and Fancy put their first plan into action**_

_**Tabitha drops a bombshell on Kay  
**_


End file.
